Northern Mindanao Leads Nation in Child Sexual Exploitation Convictions

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 July 2026) — Northern Mindanao has emerged as a key battleground in the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), recording the highest number of OSAEC rescue operations nationwide from 2024 to 2025, according to Regional State Prosecutor Merlynn Uy. Uy, speaking before an audience of some 60 police officers, social workers, health workers, prosecutors, and other first responders, said Northern Mindanao also posted the highest number of convictions in OSAEC and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) cases during the same period, with 89 convictions, most of them in Iligan City, followed by Cagayan de Oro. Uy made the statements in an opening speech she gave Monday, 27 July, for a 5-day Multi-Disciplinary Team-Basic Internet Crimes Against Children training for OSAEC first responders at the Cronin Hall inside the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral Compound in Cagayan de Oro City. Uy said Northern Mindanao has been in the forefront in the fight against OSAEC and it is for this reason why the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) decided to establish the first specialized tri-city anti-OSAEC Justice Zone in Region 10 consisting of the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Ozamiz. Citing the successful prosecution of Australian Peter Gerard Scully, Uy said the landmark case was made possible through the close coordination of prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, social workers, medical practitioners, psychologists, and non-government organizations. Scully, along with Filipina accomplice Carme Ann Alvarez, was behind the production of the infamous “Daisy’s Destruction,” a disturbing material that depicted severe abuse and exploitation of children, which he distributed to an international pedophile network. Both Scully and Alvarez were convicted for qualified trafficking in persons by a local court in 2018, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2024. “Together, we not only secured justice before our courts but we also ensured that our victims-survivors received the protection, care, and psycho-social interventions they needed throughout the judicial process,” Uy said. “Our experience has shown that the fight against internet crimes against children cannot be won by a single agency alone,” she said. “It requires coordinated action, shared expertise, and an unwavering commitment from every sector,” Uy said. Why OSAEC continues to be prevalent An official of the International Justice Mission (IJM), however, said OSAEC continues to be prevalent and under reported not just in Northern Mindanao but also nationwide. IJM is an international NGO which partners with local authorities to rescue victims, support survivors, and strengthen justice systems (the 5-day training initiative was done in partnership with the city government of Cagayan de Oro). “Children are being harmed in places where they should be safest — in their homes, in their communities, and sometimes by people they know and trust,” IJM Philippines Community Engagement Director Evelyn G. Pingul said. In a 2023 Scale of Harm study, IJM estimates that nearly half a million Filipino children were subjected to OSAEC in 2022. Nationwide, IJM reported that at least 460 suspects have been arrested for their alleged involvement in OSAEC, while nearly 1,700 victims and at-risk children have been rescued since 2011. Referred to locally as “chat-chat” or “show,” OSAEC persists for three reasons: it is easy to commit because smartphones are common; it is low-risk because it is usually done inside homes; and it is profitable because of paying predators from all over the world. To combat OSAEC, lawyer Maranatha Praise D. Ladringan, IJM’s head of Local Government Unit Engagement, said OSAEC needs to be made a high-risk criminal act, meaning greater chances of criminals getting caught. This can be achieved by empowering communities to report suspected OSAEC cases and raising awareness as, because these are just done digitally, many still view “chat-chat” and pushing minors to do “shows” as harmless. Ladringan said they are also working with government regulators to make it difficult to record, upload, and receive payments for Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (CSAEM). In so doing, they hope to make it harder for abusers to operate both online and offline. Survivor-led campaign mobilizes communities against OSAEC Complementing government and law enforcement efforts is the newly launched “Hope U Protect” campaign, a survivor-led grassroots initiative that seeks to educate communities about the harms of OSAEC and empower citizens to help prevent it. Launched on July 1, the campaign is spearheaded by the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) with support from IJM. Hope U Protect aims to raise public awareness on the realities of online child sexual exploitation, help communities recognize warning signs of abuse, and encourage timely reporting of suspected cases to authorities. The Philippine Survivor Network is an all-inclusive program for survivors of child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, and online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines who seek to build safer communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. The Hope U Protect campaign builds on the “Bayang Walang Bahid ng OSAEC” vision introduced by IJM and supported by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in September 2024, which calls on communities, families, and institutions to break the silence around online child sexual abuse and exploitation and work together to create safer environments for Filipino children. Members of the public who have information related to OSAEC cases may report through the PNP-WCPC “Aleng Pulis” Facebook page or call 0966-7255961 (Globe) and 0920-9071717 (Smart). Reports may also be made through the IACAT 1343 Actionline. (JB R. Deveza / MindaNews)