MANILA — The Philippines on Tuesday declared "war" against online child sexual exploitation, which authorities said surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citing the findings of various international agencies, Justice Secretary Boying Remulla said the Philippines has become a "favorite place" of abusers, with incidents of online exploitation reported "across all regions."

"We are declaring a war on this... We will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who [contributes] directly or indirectly in this nature," Remulla said in a Palace press briefing.

"This administration is keen and very serious in stopping this... We are declaring war in this and this is the time now," added Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo.

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The Philippines has become the world's largest known source of online child sexual exploitation, with endemic poverty helping drive a surge in abuse, based on a 7-year study by the UK-based International Justice Mission (IJM).

It said parents and relatives were responsible for facilitating the abuse in nearly all cases.

Access to technology and the pandemic lockdowns fueled the rise of sexual exploitation involving children, said United Nations (UN) envoy member Nikki Teodoro.

"Marketing their children online for profit: the fact that [is] it is easy to put up a site. It is technology that made it easier for these perpetrators to market their children, our children, and it has gotten easier and it has gotten more lucrative," she said.

"It is so lucrative, it is a billion-dollar industry. Bilyon-bilyon ang makukuha nila. But once you get caught and charged, you get charged internationally," she added.

From 2017 to July this year, authorities conducted 227 operations against the online sexual abuse of children, which led to the filing of 198 cases, data shared by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalo showed.

Sixty-seven people have been convicted of the crime, while 41 cases are still under investigation.

The cases involved "a lot of European participation," said Remulla, declining to provide additional details.

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Law enforcement agencies are receiving training through "advanced investigating workshops" organized by IJM and are cooperating with financial services that look into cases of online sexual exploitation, said Teodoro.

But she acknowledged government efforts needed to be "faster."

"We have to help ourselves because we are damaging the future of our beloved Philippines."

The Department of Information and Communications Technology is "covering all aspects" of the online abuse, which include social media, websites, and digital money trails, said DICT Secretary Ivan Uy.

The DICT is also working with the Anti-Money Laundering Council and its international partners to locate the center of payments.

"These all go to a central payment group that actually collects these money," said Uy. "Once we track them, then we work with these international agencies to stop the money flow."

Abalos added that local governments' cooperation was important to stop the criminal activity through capacity-building in the barangay level.

He also cited the need for child-friendly facilities in anti-cybercrime offices, as well as the availability of forensic software for online investigation.

— With a report from Agence France-Presse