Gov. Hilario Davide III
As long as it does not violate human rights, a proposed “shame campaign” against alleged perpetrators of cybersex in Cordova town has the support of Gov. Hilario Davide III.
“That’s a good suggestion,” he said of the proposal of Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy, former Cordova mayor, to put signages on houses of suspected cyberporn operators labeling each of them “cyberporn-prone house.”
“The family would really feel embarrassed if people find out about their activities. Personally for me it’s a good idea,” Davide told reporters. “Although we also have to check if there is no violation of the basic constitutional rights of the person,” said Davide, a lawyer. “It must be balanced,” he said.
Sitoy did not specify how the target houses would be selected and who would identify them.
He said he plans to ostracize suspected individuals especially those who continue to expose themselves and their children to online pornography for a fee.
Cordova in southernMactan island has caught the attention of local and foreign law enforcers after several high-profile raids of home-based cyberporn operators although the activity has been observed in other cities where Internet use and web cameras proliferate. In the past two years, more than 20 minors and nine adults were arrested in Cebu province due to human trafficking and cybersex, most of them coming from Cordova.
Alfredo Lim model
In the 1990s, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim spray-painted houses of suspected drug pushers in a similar shame campaign.
The practice was declared unconstitutional by the Court of Appeals which said this violated due process, the presumption of innocence and the equal protection clause of the Constitution.
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Sitoy threatens to plaster suspected cyberporn houses in Cordova with shame signs