Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Thursday said the Senate’s recent passage of the Sagip Bata Act could provide a policy guide for government agencies dealing with online child-safety threats, including the current controversy over restrictions on Discord.
The Senate approved Senate Bill 1819, or the Safeguarding Against Grooming, Inducement and Predation, and Building Accountability for Technology-Facilitated Abuse or Exploitation (Sagip Bata) Act, on third and final reading on September 21. The measure still needs House approval and presidential action before it becomes law.
Pangilinan said the measure reflects the Senate’s direction to “protect children aggressively” while requiring interventions to be “evidence-based, targeted, proportionate, and reviewable.”
His remarks came amid reports that the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) moved against Discord and Reddit following the September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato. The CICC ordered the platforms to establish a Philippine presence and warned of access restrictions for noncompliance.
However, publicly reported information so far has not established that the Banga suspect used Discord or identified a Discord server, account or content directly linked to the shooting.
Pangilinan said the government should hold platforms accountable and require faster coordination on lawful takedowns, evidence preservation, and child-safety complaints.
“Pero hindi dapat maging blanket ban ang sagot. Dito sila sa Discord nakikipag-coordinate sa kliyente, sa team, at sa mga komunidad na nagbibigay sa kanila ng trabaho. Apektado rin ang gamers, students, developers, at iba pang legitimate communities na gumagamit ng platform,” he said.
“Dahil sa ban, tila pinag-1-2-3 go, pinag-kanya-kanya na ang mga Filipino freelancers na gumagamit ng platform sa kanilang kabuhayan,” he added.
Under the proposed Sagip Bata framework, restrictions may be imposed against specifically identified content, accounts, channels, groups, applications, or services demonstrably used for violations, subject to necessity and proportionality. It also provides for emergency action when a child faces imminent harm.
“For the protection of children, we need strong action, but it must also be targeted and proportionate,” Pangilinan said.