ILOILO City – Authorities have shifted their focus from public outrage to the rehabilitation and mental health of two teenaged students involved in a viral sex video recorded at the Iloilo River Esplanade in Barangay Progreso, Lapuz district, launching psychosocial and medical interventions while appealing to the public to stop spreading the footage and subjecting the youths to online harassment.
The Iloilo City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) has started providing counseling, health examination, and other welfare services to the minor girl involved in the incident, stressing that the child’s recovery — not punishment — remains the government’s priority.
“We immediately conducted a case conference and assessed the child’s condition. She will undergo psychosocial intervention and medical examination because our priority is her welfare and recovery,” said Marilyn Gison, head of the CSWDO Crisis Intervention Unit.
Gison said the girl will continue her education through modular learning while receiving support from social workers and mental health professionals.
The case conference also uncovered lapses in parental and guardian supervision, prompting the CSWDO to work closely with the family to strengthen the child’s support system.
“We found that there was a need for stronger guidance and supervision. At present, the child remains under the care of her grandmother, who serves as her guardian because their residence is closer to her school. The grandmother has assured us that she will exercise closer supervision from now on,” Gison said.
She emphasized that all interventions are centered on the child’s rehabilitation and best interests.
Meanwhile, authorities said the male student, a former classmate of the girl during their high school years, is likewise under the close supervision of his family while coping with the emotional effects of the incident.
The Task Force on Moral Values and Formation (TMVF) also appealed for an end to the online ridicule and public condemnation directed at the two students, warning that continued cyberbullying only deepens the psychological trauma they are already experiencing.
TMVF executive director Nestor Canong said he personally witnessed the emotional condition of the minor during the case conference.
“We saw firsthand the situation of the minor. The emotional and psychological impact on her is significant. Our doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists are carefully monitoring her mental state to help her recover and return to normal,” Canong said.
He urged the public to stop posting malicious comments, inventing stories, and recirculating the viral video.
“If people continue to add stories, spread rumors, and publicly shame the children, we are only creating a bigger problem — not only for the city but more importantly for the families involved. This does not help anyone,” he said.
Canong added that both students have already suffered the consequences of the incident and should now be allowed to undergo proper intervention instead of enduring continued public humiliation.
“The role of the community now is not to judge but to allow the proper agencies to do their work so these young people can recover and learn from what happened,” he said.
City officials are also concerned that the viral sex video could tarnish the reputation of the Iloilo River Esplanade, a landscaped riverside park and promenade stretching across several sections of the city. Frequently visited by residents and tourists for walking, jogging, sightseeing and leisure activities, the esplanade has helped strengthen the city’s image as a clean, vibrant and livable urban center.
The Iloilo City Government ordered the immediate cleanup of the public space and moved to install closed-circuit television cameras, deploy Green Guards and intensify patrols./PN
