RTC convicts mother for cyberpornography

CEBU, Philippines — The Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Cebu City has convicted last Thursday a 25-year-old mother for allegedly exploiting her own four-year-old child into cyberpornography.

RTC Branch 11 Judge Ramon Daomilas found the accused, a resident of Minglanilla, Cebu, guilty of Section 4-a of Republic Act (RA) 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Person's Act and Section 4(l) of RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act after she admitted the crime charged.

On August 28, 2018, accused was arrested in an entrapment operation in Minglanilla, Cebu by the operatives of the Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU).

The operation was in collaboration with the International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Department of Social Worker and Development (DSWD).

The accused allegedly had been selling lewd photos and videos of minors, including her daughter to online clients.

The operatives, during the entrapment operation, rescued two children, including the accused's four-year-old daughter.

The accused was sentenced to suffer 15 years of imprisonment with a fine of P500,000 for the trafficking case.

She is also ordered to pay P600,000 for moral and exemplary damages.

For the child pornography case, accused was ordered to be imprisoned for two months and a fine of P50,000.

Accused was originally charged with qualified trafficking in persons committed with the use of Information and Communication Technology (Section 4 a & e of RA 10364) in relation to Section a & d of RA 10175 and violation of Section 4 (c) (2) of RA 10175 in relation to RA 9775.

However, the accused, with the assistance of counsel, entered into a plea bargaining agreement.

She intended to withdraw her earlier plea of not guilty to a guilty plea for a lesser offense, in which the prosecution allowed.

Accused entered a guilty plea during re-arraignment. —/GAN (FREEMAN)