A male teacher in Tarlac province is facing charges of child sexual abuse and exploitation before the Tarlac Regional Trial Court.
A panel of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors filed multiple criminal cases against him.
In a news release on Wednesday, the DOJ said charges of violation of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Lascivious Conduct under Republic Act Nos. 11930 and 7610, respectively, Republic Act No. 9775 (Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009), in relation to Republic Act No. 10175, and the Revised Penal Code were filed against Teacher Leoncio Benigno Thiem Tolentino.
According to authorities, the suspect is reportedly the subject of an investigation that started in June 2024 referred to the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center by US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an organization that monitors online platforms for child sexual abuse materials.
The prosecutors, led by Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas and Prosecution Attorney Criselda Teoxon-Yanga, under the guidance of Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, said the DOJ found prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction to indict Tolentino for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials and committing acts of lasciviousness against two boys, one 13 years old, and the other six years old in 2017 and 2019.
The DOJ report showed authorities were able to obtain information about the activities and details of the accused from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children referral that an individual using the email benleigh24@gmail.com was suspected of producing, storing, and distributing child sexual abuse materials using multiple digital devices, including smartphones, flash drives and a laptop.
Police were able to arrest the suspect after tracking his online activities and IP addresses.
Authorities also discovered folders in the teacher's Google Drive containing 46 video files of child sexual abuse materials involving young boys.