EDITORIAL - Fighting cyber pornography

Authorities in Lapu-Lapu City are reportedly closely monitoring at least four barangays in the city for cybersex operations. This after a report said some residents of these barangays are engaged in this illegal activity.

However, Lapu-Lapu Mayor Paz Radaza refused to name the barangays, only to say that the monitoring had been intensified following several arrests and that the city does not want to pre-empt the ongoing surveillance.

The mayor was right in admitting that those engaged in cybersex business tend to operate in areas too far for authorities to detect. Therefore a thorough surveillance by the authorities is needed to locate those operators.

Since cybersex has been a lucrative business, many are lured to venture into such activity. That is why cybersex operators almost always ply their trade in areas away from the prowling eyes of neighbors and the authorities.

But the campaign against cyber pornography will never be successful without the help of the local folk. The main reason why such an activity thrives in Lapu-Lapu City and nearby Cordova for years is that neighbors of cybersex operators often hesitate to report what they know to be illegal to the authorities.

Of course, this is not to single out Lapu-Lapu and Cordova where cybersex operations are reportedly rampant. There are many areas across the province where this activity goes unreported because residents simply choose to be tight-lipped.    

Online pornography can only be stopped through cooperation of the local folk themselves. Residents are the best source of information about the illegal trade because they know what goes on in their community.

So it is very important that the campaign against cyber pornography should largely involve raising awareness among the residents about its poisonous effects to society. Local officials and the police cannot win the battle without the help of the whole neighborhood.