EU hits DSWD Asec: Child porn is a serious issue

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union (EU) said the issue of child pornography should be addressed seriously and responsibly after a social media post from an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which suggested sarcastically that the bloc should just engage in child pornography.

The response from Franz Jessen, EU ambassador to the Philippines, came as DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo defended Assistant Secretary Lorraine Badoy, saying that the latter’s post was twisted out of context and blown out of proportion.

Jessen said that the issue of child pornography is “extremely serious,” and it should be addressed properly.

“The issue of child pornography is extremely serious and a grave crime. It should be addressed in a serious and responsible manner,” the ambassador said in a statement.

Over the weekend, Badoy, a fierce supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, blasted government critics in a scathing and sarcastic post on Facebook.

One of those at the receiving end of her diatribe was the EU which she said should just engage in child pornography because this is where it is good at.

“Tapos yung mga taga EU, mag online child porn muna kayo. Dyan naman kayo magaling eh,” she said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes and Vice President Leni Robredo were also not spared as she told them to learn a craft or two.

“In the meantime, learn a craft. Mag-gantsilyo club muna kayo, Trillanes, Leni, etc. Bake ng red velvet cupcakes,” she added.

Taguiwalo, however, was quick to douse criticisms of her subordinate, saying that it was unfair to judge Badoy’s character because of “one sarcastic sentence” on her page.

“I feel that this issue has been twisted out of context and sensationalized. To what purpose, we do not know; but what is evident is that this is being blown out of proportion,” the secretary said. “There is no question about Asec. Badoy's sincerity to serve, and it is unfair that her personal character is being questioned because of one sarcastic sentence she wrote in her own social networking page.”

The secretary also pointed to Badoy’s record which she said showed her love and care for children.

“Asec. Badoy loves children and cares about their welfare, so to even imply that she trivializes the issue is unfair and misleading,” said Taguiwalo.

Taguiwalo recognized the need for government officials to be more careful with their social media posts because of risks of being “misinterpreted.”

“We know that as government officials, we should be more circumspect and careful about what we post on social media. We always run the risk of being -- deliberately or not, maliciously or not -- misinterpreted. All of us in the DSWD executive committee and even our staff will take lessons from this incident,” she said.

Taguiwalo said that she had already clarified the issue Badoy, and everything was fine between them.