Thursday, July 06, 2006
Senator seeks speedy approval of measure v. cybersex
SENATOR Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. called on Malacañang to certify his anti-cybersex bill urgent to address Internet pornography amid reports that Filipinos comprise the second largest group in Asia that cater to cybersex.
"We really need to have a comprehensive law against on-line pornography, one that really bites in order to curb and eventually stamp our pornography in all media," he said.
Revilla's Senate Bill (SB) 1892 or the Anti-Cybersex Law, seeks to punish the publication, broadcasting and exhibition of pornographic materials in the Internet since there is no law yet on such type of pornography.
He noted that Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code on pornography is no longer appropriate in the present times as pornography has become accessible to anybody through the Internet.
Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code on pornography only provides a penalty of prision mayor with one month to six month imprisonment or a fine of P6,000 to P12,000, or both at the discretion of the court for violators.
Senate Bill 1892 wants to increase the imprisonment to 12 years as minimum and 20 years as maximum with a fine of not less than P250,000. The penalties also apply to persons who possess pornographic materials with the intention to distribute them.
"The distress signal is up, the technologies are already available and accessible to almost anyone, even to young ones who are so impressionable and can only take so much," Revilla said.
He noted that sex online is becoming a lucrative industry with cybesex operators earn as much as US$1 million a month. (REC/Sunnex)
(July 6, 2006 issue)
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