COMMUNITY | Antipolo caravan promotes safer digital spaces for students
The caravan brought together government agencies, schools, civil society organizations and private sector groups to discuss online risks facing children and ways to respond to them.
The City Government of Antipolo, through its City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), held a four-leg public school caravan on child protection and digital safety, with PLDT and Smart among the private sector partners supporting the initiative.
The second run of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Public School Caravan on Anti-Trafficking, Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC), and Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) visited Antipolo National High School, Old Boso-Boso National High School, Binayoyo Integrated School and San Roque National High School.
The caravan brought together government agencies, schools, civil society organizations and private sector groups to discuss online risks facing children and ways to respond to them.
PLDT and Smart participated in the sessions, which covered digital safety and emerging threats involving artificial intelligence. Students were taught ways to recognize online scams, protect personal information, identify potentially harmful online interactions and make informed decisions when using digital platforms.
Councilor Robin G. Say, speaking on behalf of Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares, said digital safety education should be accessible to young people.
“Programs like this are very timely because they help our students understand important issues that affect them as young people and members of the community. Today, a single click on a cellphone or computer can change many aspects of our lives, so it is important for our young people to know how to use technology responsibly and protect themselves online,” Say said.
“We hope they will share what they learn with their classmates, siblings, and families. On behalf of Mayor Ynares, I congratulate the school and the students who are part of this important discussion,” he said.
Donita May Mendoza, registered social worker of the Antipolo CSWDO, said sustaining the caravan would help keep child protection and digital safety discussions accessible to students.
“The return of the caravan for a second year reflects the importance of sustaining conversations on child protection and digital safety. By bringing these discussions directly to our schools, we can help young people better understand the risks they may encounter online and know where to seek help when they need it,” Mendoza said.
Ma. Lara Dominique B. Sanchez, prosecution attorney of the Department of Justice, said protecting children from online exploitation requires cooperation among government agencies, schools and other sectors.
“Child protection is a national responsibility. It takes a country to protect a child, and that requires all of us to work together,” Sanchez said.
Stephanie Orlino, assistant vice president and head of stakeholder engagement for PLDT and Smart, said technology’s development also creates new opportunities for online abuse and exploitation.
“As technology continues to evolve, so do the ways it can be misused to deceive and exploit people online. Through collaborations like this, we hope to help young people recognize emerging threats, think critically before engaging online, and make safer choices in their digital lives,” Orlino said.
The caravan is part of the PLDT Group’s #KonektedForSaferInternet advocacy and supports its partnerships with government, schools and child protection organizations.
The initiative also contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 16, on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and 17, on Partnerships for the Goals.
Full disclosure: All news articles published on the TechSabado website are written by human journalists, unless otherwise specified. Final text editing is also performed by human editors, with artificial intelligence (AI) used only to assist with additional grammar and style guide corrections..
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