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MANILA, Philippines — The former United States (US) diplomat who pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct with Filipino minors should be extradited to the Philippines, women’s rights advocate group Gabriela party-list said on Thursday.
Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said the ex-diplomat Dean Edward Chevez should be held accountable under the Philippine laws as the crimes were committed while he was in Philippine territory.
According to a statement posted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Chevez met multiple minors over the internet while in service at the US Embassy in the Philippines, from 2017 to 2021.
“Cheves must also be held accountable under our laws as the crimes were committed within our territory. The Department of Justice must exhaust all means to pursue the extradition of Chevez and bring justice to the victims and their families,” Brosas said in a statement.
Evidence seized by the US DOJ showed that Chevez communicated with a 15 to 16-year-old minor between December 2020 to March 2021 whom he paid to produce sexually explicit images. He also engaged in sexual acts with a 16-year-old Filipino he met online sometime in February 2021.
The US DOJ said Chevez also filmed himself doing sexual acts, adding that the perpetrator knew that the individuals he engaged in sexual conduct are minors.
READ: Ex-US Embassy in PH exec pleads guilty of engaging sexual activity with minors
According to the US DOJ, Cheves was charged with one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place and one count of possessing child pornography in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. He may face a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison for each count.
READ: Ex-US diplomat admits to sex crimes with minors in PH
But despite the development, Brosas warned that there might be other cases of minors being groomed for older people, especially with the economic crisis affecting the livelihood and jobs of people from far-flung and poverty-hit areas.
“Young girls from the poorest parts of the country are falling prey to foreign sex offenders who are exploiting the dire state of Filipinos under this economic crisis,” she warned.
“This is proof that the government must immediately address the ongoing crisis and strictly abide by its responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, especially women and children,” she added.
The Philippines, despite its Tier 1 ranking from a US report, has been known to be a hotbed of child pornography. The country was said to be the top source of child pornography in the past years — a matter exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: US report gives PH highest ranking in fight against human trafficking
Local authorities like Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said that lockdowns due to COVID-19 produced a spike in child exploitation incidents, as children were forced to stay at home with their abusers or people making pornographic materials online.
Economic crises brought on by the pandemic also prompted young people to try different means of earning a living, with some opting to work in the sex industry.