It claims to have a list of over 19.6 million active members worldwide, 48,000
of whom are online at any given time, Santiago said.
He said based on the www.adultfriendfinder.com site, "the Philippines now has
the world's 15th largest list of possible sexual partners on the Internet."
"We find this surprising considering that outside the office, very few
Filipinos have ready access to personal computers with an Internet connection,"
he said.
"This only suggests that a number of Internet shops may be fronting for cyber
sex operations and there are many gangs here running clandestine cyber sex
dens," he added.
Among 35 countries in Asia, the Philippines has the second largest list of
potential sex partners in www.adultfriendfinder.com, next only to India, which
has 677,812.
Outside Asia, the countries with larger lists than the Philippines are the
United States with 14.2 million; the United Kingdom, 1.9 million; Canada, 1.2
million; Brazil, 830,615; Germany, 762,055; Mexico, 671,761; Australia,
642,949; France, 556,301; Spain, 520,324; Italy, 471,188; Argentina, 357,212;
and Peru, 317,726.
Other Asian countries listed in the website with more than 100,000 potential
sex partners are Malaysia, 177,996; Singapore, 126,248; Japan, 112,053; and
China, 106,163.
Santiago is pushing for the swift approval of new legislation that would impose
tougher penalties on cyber sex operators.
"We are gravely worried that going forward, as the country's Internet users
increase, illicit cyber sex activities will also proliferate. Cyber sex
operators corrupt and prostitute our women and children. They should be dealt
with severely," he said.
He noted that in recent months, the authorities have busted cyber sex
operations, including those run by foreigners.
Last month, the Abra provincial prosecutor recommended the filing of criminal
charges against an Australian man and his Filipino wife for allegedly forcing
children to work in a cyber sex shop in Bangued town.
In May, two Dutch nationals suspected of operating an Internet sex den were
killed in a shootout with policemen who were serving them arrest warrants in
Quezon City.
In the house where the encounter took place, police found five women who said
they were paid P50,000 each a month to undress and perform sex acts in front of
computer cameras for clients mostly in the US.
Also in May, authorities apprehended an American and a Canadian in Angeles City
for allegedly maintaining a cyber sex shop. Evidence gathered at the shop
linked the two to the website www.chathostess.com.
