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MANILA, Philippines — A bill filed in the House of Representatives aims to make senior high school students “scam-proof” by teaching them critical thinking skills.
In his explanatory note for House Bill No. 4311 or the proposed Scam Prevention Education Act, Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas said that while scammers usually targeted adults, there was also a need to protect children who were being more exposed to the internet.
He cited a Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group report on the increasing number of online scams and computer-related identity theft cases at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, a telecommunications provider reported its deactivation of 5,670 spam and phishing numbers and the blocking of 71 million spam and phishing messages last month.
“Amid the pandemic, the country’s Anti-Money Laundering Council has received a 57 percent increase of reports of suspicious transactions indicating a surge in financial scams,” Vargas noted.
“It is, therefore, vital for schools to promote antiscam awareness throughout society as well as equip students with the knowledge where they can report cases once they encounter incidents of potential fraud or scam,” he said.
According to Vargas, HB 4311 seeks to protect senior high school students in both public and private schools against fraud by integrating scam prevention education in their curriculum.
“It is the hope of this measure to empower the next generation of Filipinos with critical thinking skills to be able to protect themselves and their families from exploitative scammers,” he said.
Revived push
Should the bill be approved, the Department of Education would be tasked to consult with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and other concerned agencies to formulate the composition of the subject.
HB 4311, which has already been referred to the House committee on basic education and culture, is a revived push of a similar measure filed in the 18th Congress by Vargas’ brother, former Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas.
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