Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called for urgent action following a disturbing case involving the alleged manipulation of a child’s photo used in sexually explicit online content.
Content creator ‘Queen Hera’ recently approached the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after discovering that images of her child were digitally altered and circulated online.
“As the author of the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Law, I hope the law is used to hold those behind these abuses accountable,” Hontiveros said. “This is truly disturbing & infuriating.”
The Senate deputy minority leader renewed her push for the passage of amendments to the Safe Spaces Act, which would penalize the use of artificial intelligence in distributing lewd content.
Although the Senate approved the amendments on third reading, the House of Representatives failed to pass them before the end of the last session.
Hontiveros vowed to refile the measure in the next Congress, stressing the importance of updated legislation in addressing emerging threats posed by new technologies.
“A tight embrace to you, Queen Hera. As a mother, I understand your anger and frustration. I wish healing for you, your child, and your entire family,” she concluded.
The incident has sparked widespread alarm, with the Commission on Human Rights expressing concern over the rising number of online sexual abuse and exploitation cases in the Philippines.
Online child exploitation has also become more sophisticated, with offenders using AI to create explicit materials from innocent images posted by parents and guardians.
