MANILA, Philippines -- A Quezon City councilor is pushing for a minimum P100,000 in fines and a year's prison term for persons and companies found selling, distributing or printing pornographic materials.

“Pornography offends chastity…it does grave injury to the dignity of its participants since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit,” states the proposal by Councilor Jesus Suntay.

According to Suntay, pornography portrays women as mere objects and erodes individual and family values as a result of the obscene portrayal of sex.

The proposed ordinance defines obscene as anything “indecent or offensive or contrary to good customs or religious beliefs…or is calculated to excite impure thoughts or arouse the prurient interest.”

Violators would be made to pay a minimum of P100,000 to a maximum of P500,000 in fines and would also face imprisonment of six months to one year, if found guilty.

“If the offender is a juridical person, the president, general manager, members of the board of directors, editor-in-chief and the managers or heads of sales, marketing and advertising sections [of the printed material] shall be liable for violation,” the proposal added.

In February, the city council adopted resolution SP-2771, series of 2005 urging the Business Permits and Licensing Office to monitor all Internet cafes to protect children and young adults from having unlimited access to cyber sex, porn and X-rated materials.

In Suntay's proposal, the police, barangay (village) officials, legal aid office and the BPLO will monitor all mass media falling within the jurisdiction of Quezon City as well as act on complaints on the public regarding the proliferation of pornographic materials.

The BPLO, meanwhile, will be given the authority to recommend the cancellation of business permits of establishments found to be violating the ordinance once approved by the city council.

All pornographic materials as well as those used in the production of obscene materials will be also destroyed after the violator is convicted.

However, the proposed ordinance provides that if the court finds the materials not to be obscene, the city government will return the seized items to the accused.