Online sexual abuse of children rising amid COVID-19 pandemic

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Save the Children Philippines has raised concern that more children are at risk from online sexual abuse and exploitation amid the COVID-19 pandemic as families resort to easy money due to deepening poverty, while children are still not allowed to leave homes.

With the theme "Bagong Normal: Ligtas na Internet for All,” the annual Safer Internet Day for Children in the Philippines calls on public and private stakeholders to join the campaign in making the internet a safer and better place for all, especially for children and young people.

Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, said the pandemic is no longer a health crisis but a child rights crisis that must be addressed with urgency.

“Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children is a silent pandemic that has permanent, and devastating effects on children’s mental health and psychosocial well-being,” said Muyot.

He called on the local government units, schools, and communities to strengthen the protective and legal services to ensure that children are safe from online sexual abuse and exploitation.

Cases of OSAEC in the Philippines increased by 264.6 percent or 202,605 more reports during the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine from March to May 2020, compared to the 76,561 cases during the same period in 2019, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), citing data from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Save the Children Philippines supports Malacañang’s call to strengthen the campaign against OSAEC by monitoring the strict implementation of Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

The child rights organization is joining the month-long campaign activities at the National Capital Region and Mindanao to raise awareness on protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Wilma Banaga, Child Protection Advisor of Save the Children Philippines, said that parents, guardians and other relatives must understand that they have the responsibility to meet the needs of children, and to protect them from any form of abuse and exploitation.

“Parents and other adults who are taking care of children should provide the necessary support and guidance to help protect children from online sexual abuse and exploitation particularly now that they are increasingly going online because of the pandemic,” said Banaga.

Save the Children Philippines is a member of SaferKidsPH, an Australian government initiative to reduce the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines, being implemented along with The Asia Foundation and UNICEF. SaferKidsPH works with children and their families, the Philippine government, civil society and the private sector to ensure that children are safe and protected online.

Philinsure To Push Digitalisation Efforts; Protecting Filipinos Amidst COVID-19

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Singapore-headquartered Insurtech, Igloo, today announced an official partnership with Philippines-based insurance broker Philpacific Insurance Brokers Inc. (Philinsure). This partnership kicks off with the digitization of Philinsure’s insurance products offering accessible and affordable insurance to Filipinos in the country to support their need for security and protection. As the partnership evolves, Igloo and Philinsure will be providing more insurance products to better protect the families in the Philippines.



Mr Raunak Mehta, Chief Commercial Officer of Igloo, said, “This pandemic brought about an urgent need for traditional industries to tap technology, and this is especially evident in the insurance sector in the Philippines. This partnership with Philinsure aims to support a very important sector in the Philippines, such as small business owners whose work have a very real and immediate impact on their communities. We want to be able to provide them with affordable and relevant protection to give them the confidence to focus on their business and their livelihood.”



With a digital insurance penetration of less than 1 per cent, the availability of insurance protection in the Philippines is largely offline which limits their reach, especially in these days of the pandemic. Igloo sees a lot of potential in driving this digitally to provide highly customized and relevant solutions to the consumers in the most accessible, scalable, and affordable manner. Leveraging its technological capabilities, Igloo is able to deliver operational efficiencies and lower costs for its insurance partners, and provide value-adding products to the customer base of its distribution partners.



Gordon Alan “Dondi” Joseph, CEO of Philinsure, shared, “We are excited to be working with Igloo as part of our effort to better drive our CSR advocacy to serve Filipino families, wherever they are in the Philippines or in the world. We also see that working with Igloo will help us achieve greater efficiencies in our post-pandemic digitization program. We look forward to working with Igloo to widen our CSR advocacy through its digital platform that is capable of providing a simple, effective means of protecting and therefore empowering the Filipino Family."



According to UNDP Philippines, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) comprise 99.5 per cent of the nation’s business establishment, employing approximately 63 per cent of the country’s workforce. Igloo’s partnership with Philinsure is part of Igloo’s larger mission to provide affordable insurance to the masses.



The partnership seeks to strengthen Igloo’s foothold in the Philippines market as it expands the variety of verticals it serves from on-demand customer platforms to banks, fintech, and logistics firms. Since its entry into the Philippines with its collaboration with Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest-growing hotel management and booking platform, RedDoorz in 2019, Igloo has also partnered with the UnionBank of the Philippines in August last year. The insurtech has also widened its insurance partner base to include Mercantile, Pioneer, PGA-Sompo Insurance Corporation, and United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corporation.



Igloo looks to evolve its product offering by investing in the development of new products to cater and fit the ever-changing market needs. Apart from these existing products, Igloo aims to work with partners to launch new policies such as home, business, internet security, pet insurance, and those focused on single diseases such as dengue and COVID-19. With these plans in mind, the team looks to hire more people in their Philippines office as it expects the number of policies sold via its platform in the Philippines to grow 4x this year. The company is also looking for strategic investors for their upcoming funding round, which is expected to close by Q1 2021.



Igloo, founded by Mr Wei Zhu in June 2016 to provide affordable insurance for everyone, is a full-stack insurtech firm, employs big data, dynamic risk assessment, and expedited claims management, to provide partners with widened distribution networks and allows consumers access to customized insurance solutions. To date, Igloo has sold over 100 million policies in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia

PHLPost launches Express Pada-Love on Valentine’s Day

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“Romance can be far, but not apart”, a message the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will try to convey amid the pandemic as it plays Cupid on Valentine’s Day via its “Express Pada-Love program” from February 8-14.

“The celebration of Valentine’s Day might be a little different this year, but there are a lot of ways to show love and affection to our dear ones”, PHLPost said in a statement.

One way is to send flowers and letters of gratitude to someone special in our life.

Via its #ExpressPadaLove2021, not even Covid-19 can stop PHLPost from sending Love this Valentine season. PHLPost will accept orders of flowers, chocolates, stuffed toys and other gift items on February 8-11 for Express delivery on Valentine’s Day.

Following physical distancing and safety protocols, on February 08, PHLPost will accept orders through its Valentine’s Day booths selling flowers, novelty and food items at the lobby of the Manila Central and Quezon City Post Offices.

PHLPost will deliver the items via door to door through its Domestic Express Mail Service (DEMS) anywhere in Metro Manila. They can also call for orders, through telephone numbers (02) 8527-0135/ 0927-245-0835/ 0906-8976930. Payments can made via Electronic Postal Money Order (EPMO) or G-Cash at Mobile No. 0935-3674207.

On February 10, PHLPost will launch its Valentine’s Day stamps at 3:00 in the afternoon and this will be featured live on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/PilipinasPhilately.

The cartoon style Stamp illustrates two people in facemask romantically spending time together to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a distance.

On February 14, the Postman will deliver Valentine’s Day orders of flowers, chocolates and novelty items. The program will be featured live on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/PilipinasPhilately.