IT WAS a shock to discover that the European Union’s most wanted criminal, a suspected sexual offender, conducted his international enterprise from the Philippines, particularly Cebu.
Also a surprise was that the suspect is a Filipino, unlike in past arrests where those involved were foreigners caught with minor children.
Nelson Siacor Turayno, 32, was the number one in the list of the Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency. He was arrested on April 12, 2019 at his rented room in Barangay Luz, Cebu City. Found in his room were thousands of photos and videos showing children being sexually abused.
Reports on his arrest did not reveal much of his illegal operation except that the local warrant was issued after the Queensland Police Service forwarded his case in September 2018 to the Armed Forces of the Philippines that then relayed it to the National Bureau of Investigation and the police. He was known to the Queensland police for producing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials on the dark web. The dark web being internet content on hacking, illegal activities and underground black markets.
The only other detail revealed was that, as of Thursday, July 25, eight children who are neighbors and acquaintances of Turayno have been “protected.”
The rest of the reports outlined the extraordinary work of combining law enforcement efforts of local, national and international agencies to stop those who victimize children using the internet. It was extraordinary and the backslapping was well deserved but educating residents about the threat and how to spot it would add to the prevention measures.
No one, except an accomplice, would want a most wanted criminal in their midst.
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Another example of the importance of proper messaging is in identifying what is crucial in a disaster situation.
When a typhoon signal is raised, most people think first about their homes before they worry about roads and bridges or their places of work.
Home, then their family—young children and the elderly who are most vulnerable to disasters. That’s the most natural thought process when a disaster or emergency situation is about to happen.
That is exactly what disaster risk reduction and management offices in the country should note as they mull over the kind of messaging and training to develop to better prepare for future disasters. That was the point made by Vincenzo Bolletino, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative - Program on Resilient Communities program director, when he analyzed 2017 survey results to come up with perceptions of vulnerability and preparedness in the country.
A majority of Filipino households (69 percent) felt their own homes, of all the assets they owned, were at most risk during a disaster. It was followed by farmland (32 percent), roads (23 percent), and schools (15 percent), the program report said.
This rainy season, local government units have to consider this finding when they talk about an impending emergency.