NBI investigates child porn site featuring Pinoy girls

MANILA, Philippines — Cybercrimes probers of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are trying to identify the operators of a website that is said to be selling young Filipino girls to foreign pedophiles. NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said he has tasked the bureau’s Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD) to trace the child porn site, which peddling Filipino girls as young as 11 years old. Akbayan Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros earlier called the NBI’s attention before many more young Filipino girls get victimized. Director Mantaring said the NBI will use Republic Act No. 7610, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, in going after the operators of the child porn website. “Our investigation has already started. Rep. Hontiveros requested us to conduct probe on child porn website. But I cannot tell you yet the name of the website," he told reporters. “It’s good that we have already a law to protect children against child pornography and any kind of abuses," he added. Hontiveros, who met with Mantaring at the NBI headquarters in Manila Tuesday morning, said her request has nothing to do with the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex video brouhaha. “It so happen that this came within the time frame of that Hayden-Halili. Our concern here is that we have to protect our Filipino children from falling victims to this porno website," she told reporters. “Despite the absence of full nudity, the photos are clearly pornographic," Hontiveros said. “The poses are sexually suggestive. They are not simply lascivious, they are exploitative and abusive." She said the membership-based porn site has pictures of Filipino girls in underwear and in different lascivious and obscene poses. Access to the other photos of the models requires payment through credit card, with payment ranging from a $39.5 for a 30-day membership to $59.95 for a three month membership. “That’s a measly amount and the cost is the dignity and welfare of Filipino girls," she said. Hontiveros has also filed a resolution asking the House of Representatives to investigate the proliferation of child porn websites, citing a report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). “According to Unicef, child pornography in the Philippines is more widespread and systematic than earlier thought. Congress needs to ensure that the country’s anti-child abuse laws," she said in a press statement. - GMANews.TV