(PNA)
ILOILO CITY — Some 60 stakeholders in Western Visayas gathered here Thursday for a consultative meeting that pushed for safeguarding children against unwanted websites.
The one-day event was the last leg of the series of consultations conducted by the Consumer Protection Group of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
In an interview, Antonio Edward Padre, Regional Director of DICT 6 (Western Visayas), emphasized the need to gather input from stakeholders on how to educate children on the proper use of the Internet.
Through the DICT’s “Juan Konek” project, more than 120 W-Fi access points have been installed in various parts of the region, such as in public schools, plazas, parks and other public areas, providing the public, including children, quick access to the Internet.
Padre noted they have been monitoring websites that have been accessed by users through their free public Wi-Fi.
He, however, stressed that there is still “a need for the input of the stakeholders every now and then if there are still unwanted websites that are being accessed, especially by children.”
These unwanted sites include explicit sex, gambling and games, he said.
While one feature of the free Wi-Fi is the automatic blocking of unwanted websites, Padre said it could only block “identified” unwanted websites.
“The cyber world continues to produce unwanted websites any time so we really need the help of everyone,” he said.
Padre also recognized that the Department of Education is also moving into online education, the reason why it is difficult for them to limit the age of users that could connect to Wi-Fi.
Padre said one stakeholder from Aklan shared one incident involving students supposedly doing their research but were caught accessing explicit sex website.
“We transmitted the information to our national operations center in Manila and they have blocked the site already and we have notified all technical staff of DICT assigned to the ‘Juan Konek’ project to monitor if there are still others that could access the site,” he said.
Through the consultative meeting, Padre said they have come up with some recommendations, such as the do’s and don’ts for children’s use of the Internet and how to strengthen the monitoring of the public’s access to unwanted websites.
“Children should be educated about the proper use of internet and to teach them to avoid unwanted websites, like explicit sex, gambling and games,” he said.
He said these recommendations will be added to the draft policy being prepared by the DICT’s Consumer Protection Group that will be launched by the end of this year.
Once final, Padre said they will seek the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
