FILE PHOTO: Senator Manny Pacquiao. Contributed photo
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Manny Pacquiao believes it is high time for the government to control who gets to watch pornographic videos on the internet, proposing that sites should require identification cards to ensure that patrons are of legal age.
During The 2022 Presidential One-on-One Interviews with talk show host Boy Abunda, Pacquiao was asked about what he could do about the looming problems concerning porn addiction, especially as Filipinos reportedly logged the most hours on a porn site.
In general, Pacquiao wants the government to control the internet to avoid abuse.
“Isa ‘yan sa mga sinusulong namin ngayon, ‘yong pagsugpo ng mga ganyang pornography. Dapat kontrolin ng gobyerno ‘yong signal natin, ‘yong internet signal natin, ‘yong lahat ng technology. Dapat kontrol ng gobyerno para hindi maabuso,” Pacquiao told Abunda.
“Ngayon naabuso at pati mga bata nakakanood. Dapat hindi makapanood ang mga bata […] doable po, nagagawa po sa ibang bansa ‘yan, bakit sa atin hindi,” he added.
When asked how this can be fought, he proposed requiring identification cards as proof that porn audiences are of legal age, adding that technology measures today can confirm if IDs are fake or not.
“‘Yong iba kasi hahanapan ka ng ID, ‘yong tunay mong ID, hahanapan ka ng ID mo para makapag-register ka, para makapanood ka, maka-open ka. Hindi ‘yong sasabihin mo lang do’n saka maniwala na sila. Kailangan may ID na valid ID,” he explained.
“High-tech na kasi ngayon ang technology, so mako-confirm ‘yan by confirming that ID kung totoo or hindi,” he added.
Pacquiao defended his plan – that it is not a kind of censorship.
“Hindi naman po, kailangan lang talaga natin na ima-manage natin ng husto, na hindi bata ang makanood ng mga ganyan,” he stressed.
In December 2021, adult site Pornhub said that Filipinos on average spend 11 minutes and 31 seconds on their site, topping the list globally.
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