PNP to check reports of students selling sensual pics online to support education

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) will look into reports that some students have been selling sensual photos and videos online to raise funds to support their education in the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

“As of now, we will try to task our Anti-Cybercrime to monitor these postings and to track or monitor,” PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas said in a press briefing Monday.

Sinas, however, explained that the police cannot just monitor social media accounts.

“Until such time na may magrereklamo tungkol doon, then it becomes already a… pero kung personally nilang pinopost ‘yun, is nasa kanila po ‘yun,” he said.

“I think kung minors ‘yan, di naman kasi kami nagmo-monitor ng mga accounts ng social media. Hindi po namin pinapakialaman ‘yan. Kung voluntary ‘yan, I think it’s the parents that should have first answer it,”

(I think if they are minors, we cannot just monitor accounts in social media. If it is voluntary, I think it’s the parents who should first answer it.)

He said the PNP will also coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regarding the matter.

“What we will do, we will task our cybercrime to monitor this one and inform the parents and maybe track and inform the parents or forward it to DSWD for professional intervention,” said Sinas.

The PNP chief made this assurance after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on basic education, called on law enforcement agencies to ramp up efforts in investigating reports of students allegedly selling obscene photos and videos to finance their studies.

In making this call, Gatchalian cited a report from The Philippine Online Student Tambayan that revealed students use hashtags #AlterPH, #AlterPinay, and #AlterPhilippines on Twitter to sell their sensual photos and videos to help them purchase gadgets and pay for internet bills for online learning.

KGA