An American who had been hiding in Cebu for a long time was caught after it emerged that he had a case of child sexual abuse in the U.S. According to authorities, Thomas Scheuer had been hiding in Talisay City for 25 years and was even accused of abusing his own child. Another foreign pedophile, Stephen Geoffrey Lund, was also caught in the country.
Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed her anger, saying it is appalling that there are foreigners hiding in the Philippines to commit crimes. She said all those who are trying to make the country a haven for sex offenders should be held accountable.
At the same time, the Senate began an investigation into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the production of fake porn. During the hearing, Angel Aquino and Queen Hera said that their images and even their children were used in this type of content. It turned out that 95% of the victims were women and minors.
Hontiveros warned that criminals could use this technology to spread abusive content more quickly. That's why he called for the arrest of others who may be hiding in the Philippines.
In response, CICC launched a National Deepfake Task Force and a hotline 1326 for victims. DICT also implemented a 24-hour takedown protocol against illegal sites and coordinated with telcos to block obscene content online.
