DSWD backs PNP on limiting children's access to Internet

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said yesterday it supports the Philippine National Police (PNP) in its efforts to regulate the access of children to Internet shops.

“I would support legislations, policies and regulation and actions that will regulate their access to the Internet,” Secretary Corazon Soliman said in an interview.

She said through the Internet, children are “exposed to all kinds of stimulations to mind and body that sometimes they don’t know how to handle.”

The PNP embarked on a mission to address online gaming addiction among children after some incidents involving criminals who used the social networking site Facebook to get their victims. Soliman said she will coordinate with the PNP and the local government units to show the DSWD’s support for the program. She asked the LGUs to come up with ordinances to help regulate the establishment and operation of Internet shops.

Meanwhile, PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group head Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao said they are asking the PNP’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to compile records of Internet-related crimes to help investigators design measures to protect would-be victims.

He said the CIDG has recorded at least 56 Facebook-related crimes from January to June 15, compared to 72 in 2010. – Sheila Crisostomo, Cecille Suerte Felipe