I don't usually go to prescons, but when Dominguez Marketing Communications informed me that the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), headed by Usec. Cezar Mancao will launch a facility that would help stop cybercriminals from attacking ordinary Filipinos, especially children; I immediately confirmed my attendance. I have been a cybersecurity advocate and fully support initiatives like this from government and private institutions.

The CICC is one of the attached agencies of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). It is tasked to lead the government's efforts in the fight against cybercrimes, especially those victimizing children, the most vulnerable segment in society.

The new facility is called the Digital Forensics Platform and Laboratory, or DFPAL. It will be an essential tool of the government's fight against the rising cybercrimes, especially Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).

According to the study conducted by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in the Philippines, there were 418,422 tips for online sharing, re-sharing, and selling of child sexual abuse images and videos. But in 2020, "we have seen a 260% increase since the start of the lockdown".

One of the goals of the CICC is to address the problem of OSAEC. "The CICC's DFPAL was established and operationalized to conduct relentless, coordinated efforts to prevent, disrupt, and possibly stop if not mitigate the issues of OSAEC through the collaborative partnership of local and international stakeholders towards providing a cybersafe environment for children," says CICC Executive Director Cezar O. Mancao II. "We have acquired a powerful state-of-the-art technology, which will improve the success rates of investigators and policing operations in the ongoing pursuit to identify, apprehend, and convict individuals and networks associated with online child sexual exploitation," he adds. The DFPAL will be manned by trained and certified professionals from various fields such as information and communications technology, psychology, digital forensics, data analytics, research, and communications that would provide vital support to the operations of the CICC.

The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the problem of online child exploitation involving child pornography and other forms of child online sexual abuse, specifically with children from low-income families. This has strengthened the resolve of the CICC for safer cyberspace. Mancao says, "To support this advocacy, we have child online protection programs and initiatives in partnership with various civil society organizations and many stakeholders."

He explains that these crimes are borderless. The unprecedented access to the internet through computers and mobile phones has made children vulnerable to cybercrime. "These technologies are now embedded in their lives, our lives. With the DFPAL, the CICC is now better equipped to fight OSAEC," adds Mancao.

The DFPAL also proves President Duterte's commitment to fighting the threat of OSAEC. "This will serve as the President's legacy in gathering all the resources of the government to address this threat affecting thousands of families," adds Mancao. "The opening of this new facility will provide law enforcement agencies with updated data and intelligence that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of these predators."

I welcome the establishment of DFPAL as it will help protect ordinary netizens from cybercrime, especially children; what worries me, though, is the future of this state-of-the-art anti-cybercrime facility if new appointees replace the team of Usec Cezar O. Mancao. It was my first time meeting Usec Mancao in person, and I was impressed by his vision for CICC and DFPAL. A vision that could be derailed if Usec Mancao, Asec James Layug and the whole team will not continue what they have started.

To report a cybercrime against children, you can call CICC helplines at 09666524885, 09206260217, or via email at [email protected]. You may also reach out to the NBI-Cybercrime Division at nbi.gov.ph or at 877 624-7707, PNP – Anti-Cybercrime Group acg.pnp.gov.ph or at 0998 598 8116, and DOJ – Office of Cybercrime +632 523 8482.