The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) lauded the House of Representatives (HOR) for unanimously approving, on its third and final reading, a bill that will strengthen the government’s protection against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).

House Bill No. 9461, or the proposed Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026, had an overwhelming 284 votes during the plenary session on Tuesday (June 2) at the HOR in Quezon City.

“Having a bill, at kung maisabatas na, that supports the mandate of our Department means that we can expand the reach of our programs, especially the interventions for victim-survivors and their families who experienced OSAEC. Kami po sa DSWD, as the co-chair of the National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM), welcome the approval of House Bill 9461,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said on Wednesday (June 3).

The proposed measure expands the enforcement mechanisms of the existing Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-OSAEC and Anti-CSAEM Act.

A salient provision of HB 9641 is the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated, synthetic, and digitally manipulated content alongside deepfakes involving children in the definition of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials

The House bill also establishes a range of recognizable offenses such as online grooming, sexual extortion, luring, image-based sexual abuse, and livestreamed exploitation.

“Kasama sa social protection initiatives natin this 2026 ‘yung Project SAFE, which is an advocacy campaign to strengthen the prevention, protection, recovery, and safe reintegration ng mga OSAEC victim-survivors, at maiwasang maulit pa ito. Similar ito sa goal ng isinusulong natin na Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026 kaya tayo po ay sumusuporta rito,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.

Under the proposed measure, the government penalizes offenders convicted of producing, distributing, livestreaming, or facilitating child sexual abuse materials with life imprisonment and fines of at least Php2 million.

The legislation also subjects individuals found guilty of possessing such materials to a maximum of 20 years in prison, while it penalizes those who access exploitation materials with up to 12 years of imprisonment.

“Alinsunod sa kautusan ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., at ni Secretary Rex Gatchalian, nag-aadapt din po ang ating mga programa sa patuloy na paglago ng teknolohiya. Kasabay din kasi nito ang pag-advance ng mga krimen sa digital platforms, kaya dapat palakasin din natin ang proteksyon natin sa ating mga kabataan, lalo na ang may access sa iba’t ibang online platforms,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

The DSWD reaffirms its commitment to providing social protection to all its beneficiaries in both physical and digital environments. (KB)