Press Release
February 1, 2008

REVILLA ALARMED OVER MOBILE PORN PLAN

Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. expressed alarm over the reported plan of foreign adult entertainment and technology companies to expand to mobile pornography business.

Based on reports, a Mobile Adult Content Congress is being held this week in Miami , USA where adult entertainment and technology companies are brainstorming over how to make mobile porn a viable business.

Gregory Piccionelli, a lawyer specializing in adult entertainment, predicted that U.S. consumers may soon be offered porn on mobile phones alongside paid services like live video or "adult dates," a term for prearranged sex with strangers.

"If the plan pushes through, it's certain that this immoral trade will quickly reach the local mobile phone market. We should anticipate that scenario," said Revilla, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.

The senator explained that as cellphones are being transformed into more complex devices with features similar to computers, contents common in the Internet and in personal computers will certainly shift to mobile phones and this will include pornography. He lamented that in the Philippines , the prevalence of pornographic materials via the internet and cellphones are not clearly punishable at present either by the Revised Penal Code or the Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003."

"If we allow pornography on cellphones, the impact would be worse than the so-called sex scandals. Imagine pornography just a text away. We must not embrace this kind of western culture," Revilla said.

He further pointed out that any filter or tool to help keep minors from seeing adult sites in mobile phones will not address the emerging problem. "An age-verification system will not work effectively. Minors will simply fake their age and other personal details," he stressed.

Revilla said his committee is ready to come out with a committee report on his bill to address the continuing proliferation of pornographic materials in various media, including the internet and other high tech forms of communication. Under Senate Bill No. 12 or the "Anti Pornography Act", any person who shall cause the publication, broadcast, exhibition or selling of pornographic materials shall be punished with 12 to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than two hundred fifty thousand pesos. Any person who helps in the commission of the crime will face 12 year imprisonment and fine of not less than one hundred thousand pesos. Revilla said the committee report will include recommendations on the accessing of pornography through mobile phones.

Revilla earlier called on law enforcement agencies and local governments to lock-up internet cafes in its jurisdiction that tolerate access to child pornography websites.

Based on the survey website www.TopTenReviews.com the Philippines garnered the eight spot in the 2006 Worldwide Pornography Revenues, sharing the spot with Canada and Taiwan with $1 billion revenue each. Grabbing the no. 1 spot is China with $27.40 billion revenue, followed by South Korea ($25.73 billion), Japan ($19.98 billion), US ($13.33 billion), Australia ($2 billion), UK ($1.97 billion) and Italy ($1.40 billion). The pornography industry is larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink.

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