MANILA, Philippines — Did you know there’s a web-based, user-friendly platform that guides Filipinos on how they can report online threats and access support services?

Online platform Gabay Tech is designed to help victims and survivors of digital threats take the crucial first step of identifying the abuse they may be experiencing and guiding them on what they can do about this.

Launched two Tuesdays ago, March 17, Gabay Tech is available online for free. It is developed by Development Gateway and IREX, and is part of the National Models for Women’s Safety Online program seeking to address digital threats against women and children. 

The platform directs users to the appropriate agencies that can take over their cases, including the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), to name a few.

Lost in the system

Many victims and survivors of online harm go unreported, not because victims don’t recognize the abuse, but because they don’t know where to start.

Developers of Gabay Tech said interviews with survivors showed that many are unsure where to go, which laws apply, or what evidence to prepare, leaving them to navigate digital harms alone. 

“The survivors we talked to are unsure where to go, which law applies, or what evidence to prepare,” said Philippines Country Lead of Development Gateway Christine Sumog-oy in a mix of English and Tagalog.

This fragmented reporting system is a reality often faced by agencies helping victims.

Organizations like CyberGuardiansPH report that victims frequently don’t know where to turn or who to contact when experiencing cyberbullying or other forms of online harm.

“So many cases actually went unreported or underreported because they weren’t even sure if it was a reportable case, especially if the person is well known either within the campus or maybe in the workplace,” CyberGuardiansPH program manager Marian Pacunana-Sangil shared. 

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has seen firsthand how daunting reporting can be.

Philippine Commission on Women-Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children (PCW-IACVAWC) secretariat Eufrosina Dumlao shared the story of a 14-year-old girl who met an older man, around 22 or 25 years old, online. After a brief intimate encounter, he threatened to expose a video of their coupling and pressured her to continue the relationship.

“She was so scared. She doesn’t want to tell her mother because she’s afraid she might disown her,” Dumlao said in a mix of English and Tagalog. “Then her friends found out, and she lost all her dignity at school. She didn’t want to go to school anymore,” she added. 

Unfortunately, when PCW followed up, she decided not to continue with the report.

The Philippines has several laws addressing online harms, including the Safe Spaces Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, and the Data Privacy Act.

However, with a lack of centralized reporting mechanisms, many victims may be overwhelmed and confused as to what to do and which laws apply, with different processes and institutions adding to the confusion on where to seek help.

National Privacy Commission information technology officer Jonathan Rudolph Ragsag added that the costly and lengthy justice system process further discourages victims from filing complaints.

“The hesitation comes because of the nature of our justice system in the Philippines, [which] really takes time. It dashes their hope that they will get justice,” he said. 

Your Gabay to safety

“Gabay Tech was created to help address this gap so that we could provide clear, harmonized guidance that connects people to the right support mechanisms,” Sumog-oy said.

Gabay Tech guides users through a series of simple questions to understand their situation, where to report, what evidence to prepare, and which institutions can help. 

It offers resources on Philippine online harassment laws, mental health support, and even helps users request content removal, including urgent takedowns for sexually explicit material, child sexual abuse content, and image-based abuse.

“It provides guidance and pathways, yes, but it’s still not a replacement for legal counsel. At least for someone who can’t afford to hire a lawyer right away, there’s something — a tool or a platform — that can help them take that first step,” Sumog-oy said in a mix of English and Tagalog. 

To help this platform reach more people, Pasig City has committed to roll out Gabay Tech to the locality. By rolling out the platform, local authorities in Pasig City, together with schools, local offices, and community partners, will be holding face-to-face sessions where they will introduce Gabay Tech to residents and guide them on how to use the platform.

Gabay Tech is easy to use, available in local dialects, and doesn’t ask for personal information. It is open-source, works for all ages and genders, and can be adopted by other local government units. – Rappler.com