Concerned over the extent of the problem, Catholic bishops urged the government Tuesday to make the fight against child pornography one of its top priorities.The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also called on other political and religious groups to pitch in, amid reports that the Internet is now being harnessed for child porn.
"Even if we come from different political agenda or culture, race or religion, we have to be united and help each other to defeat this," CBCP spokesman and media office director Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III said in a statement posted Tuesday on the CBCP website.
Quitorio urged people to demand, "that ending child pornography be made a top priority of the government," adding the Church wants and needs all-out support on the matter.
He stressed the need for solidarity in fight against pornography, which he said transcends socio-political barriers that divide the country today.
"This is a disease. This is a social and psychological disease. But more than a disease, I think the phenomenon is getting bigger. It's like the evil itself haunting our society today," he said.
Optical Media Board chair Eduardo "Edu" Manzano, for his part, said authorities and non-government entities must collaborate with other sectors, the Church especially.
Manzano said he welcomed the religious' sector's efforts to stop child porn but called on the law enforcement bodies for more regulations to halt the underground industry.
He also warned that the sexual exploitation has reached a new phase with the Internet as its distribution method.
The CBCP had been denouncing the proliferation of pornographic materials in the country and called for the banning of these materials.
In July 2007, the CBCP and the OMB initiated the formation of an ad-hoc committee to address the influx of porn materials involving minors in sex acts.
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairwoman Consoliza Laguardia lauded both groups for their efforts to fight "the terrible crime against children."
"It's really our moral obligation to care for children and save them from being sexually exploited," she said.
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