Press Release
May 24, 2009

Villar wants immediate passage of law on sex scandals

Nacionalista President Sen. Manny Villar called on his fellow lawmakers to expedite the passage of bills seeking to prohibit and penalize the posting of videos and photos of sex acts on the internet.

"We must stop this perversion," Villar said.

Villar cited the case of actress Katrina Halili, who recently filed a complaint at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against Dr. Hayden Kho, who allegedly recorded their sex act without her consent.

The video of the sex act has been posted on several websites. Other sex videos featuring Kho with different women were also found on the internet.

Villar said such acts must be criminalized because it not only destroys an individual's reputation, but it also undermines decency and good values of the Philippine society.

Villar said both Houses of Congress must come up with a law that will encourage victims to file cases in court and will minimize their public humiliation.

He said Congress and the Executive department must act immediately to prevent the practice from getting out of control.

"The social cost of sex scandal videos that proliferate on the streets and on the Internet is not easy to measure, but the people are definitely already feeling its effect," Villar said.

Since the Kho-Halili issue broke, copies of the video hit the streets and are reportedly selling thousands a day, with each copy selling as high as P300 per copy.

"People buy it and watch it their homes," Villas said. "Are we not aware that we are teaching our children twisted values about sex and indecency?" Villar said.

Villar said there are pending bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives and lawmakers should focus on making these laws responsive to the need for a more decent society.

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