CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY(July 29) — Northern Mindanao recorded the country’s highest number of convictions in online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM) cases in 2024 and 2025, with 89 convictions, as Cagayan de Oro City steps up its fight against the growing threat through a new multi-disciplinary team.
The region’s conviction tally was disclosed by Regional Prosecutor Merlynn Uy during a week-long training on handling OSAEC and CSAEM cases in the city.
Most of the 89 convictions were recorded in Iligan City, followed by Cagayan de Oro, Uy said.
The figures underscore both the scale of the threat and the urgency of strengthening the system that brings perpetrators to justice while protecting children who survive abuse.
Protecting survivors, building stronger cases
On Tuesday, Cagayan de Oro Deputy City Prosecutor Hosni Guiling presented guidelines for preparing affidavits for law enforcers and social workers handling OSAEC cases.
The training focused on helping authorities build stronger cases while protecting survivors from further harm.
“It has been my advocacy that all children must be protected from all kinds of abuse,” Guiling said.
He cautioned participants that the identities of child survivors and other sensitive details must be carefully protected, particularly because many alleged perpetrators are relatives of the victims.
Affidavits should avoid information that could allow perpetrators to trace survivors, including unnecessary details about their schools, acquaintances and other places or people connected to them, he said.
The protection of children does not end when a case reaches the justice system, Guiling stressed. The process itself must not expose survivors to further danger.
CDO builds multi-agency response
The establishment of a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) is among the priority mechanisms being put in place by the city for law enforcement and after-care support for OSAEC survivors.
The MDT was created following the passage of Cagayan de Oro Ordinance No. 2025-743, which localized Republic Act 11930, or the Anti-OSAEC and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act.
The team will bring together prosecutors, social workers, police officers, non-government organizations and other private stakeholders to improve coordination in investigating cases, assisting survivors and pursuing perpetrators.
The ordinance also designated Northern Mindanao as the country’s first Justice Zone, further strengthening inter-agency cooperation in addressing OSAEC and related crimes.
Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental Executive Judge Arthur Abundiente, lead convenor of the Justice Zone, described OSAEC as a modern-day threat that can leave destruction comparable to a war.
“This is a different kind of war. No firearms, but the destruction is no less than a real war. It destroys lives, it destroys futures, and more so, it involves our children,” Abundiente said in an interview.
An invisible crime
For International Justice Mission (IJM) Philippines Community Engagement Director Evelyn Pingul, the 89 convictions do not necessarily reflect the full scale of OSAEC in the region or the country.
She said OSAEC remains underreported, making the role of the MDT crucial in identifying cases, protecting survivors and ensuring that anti-OSAEC and anti-CSAEM laws are effectively enforced.
The week-long MDT and Basic Internet Crimes Against Children Training was conducted in collaboration with the City Social Welfare and Development Office and IJM.
The training comes as authorities confront a crime that can happen behind closed doors, through phones and computers, and often within families and communities where children should be safest.
For Cagayan de Oro, the challenge now is to turn its new multi-agency structure into a stronger shield for children—and ensure that the region’s record number of convictions translates into fewer children being abused in the first place.
