Recent cases involving Filipino youth have shown how online risks are becoming harder to recognize and increasingly complex to tackle, from ‘grooming’ and exploitation to harmful online communities, scams, and AI-manipulated content. As young people spend more of their lives online, knowing how to recognize these risks and protect themselves has become an essential part of growing up in a digital world.
Against this backdrop, Globe and GMA joined forces for GoSafe sa Cyberspace, an online safety campaign that brings practical digital safety education directly to young Filipinos. The campaign kicked off at Rizal High School in Pasig City, where junior and senior high school students learned how to spot online risks, respond to potentially harmful situations, and make more responsible choices online.
“Technology gives young people incredible opportunities to learn, create and connect, but they also need the knowledge and confidence to navigate the risks that come with it,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer. “Online safety is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to play in creating a safer digital environment for young people.”
Pasig City Councilor and 12th Sangguniang Panlugsod ng Pasig Committee on Technology, Communication, and Energy Chairperson Ryan Enriquez joined Globe and GMA at the event in support of efforts to strengthen online safety awareness among young people. Rizal High School Principal Richard T. Santos welcomed the initiative, which brought the conversation directly to the school’s junior and senior high school students.
Pasig City Councilor Ryan Enrriquez also expressed support for efforts to equip young people with the knowledge to recognize and respond to online risks. “Young people are online every day, whether for school, entertainment, or staying connected with friends. Along with teaching them how to use technology, we also need to help them recognize risks, protect themselves, and know where to turn when they need help,” Enriquez said. “Parents, schools, government, and the private sector all have a role to play. We thank Globe and GMA for bringing this initiative to Pasig and helping our students become safer and more responsible online.”
At the heart of the program was a dialogue led by Emil Sumangil, award-winning broadcast journalist and host of GMA Public Affairs program Resibo, on the online risks young people face and what they can do when something goes wrong. The conversation drew from issues Resibo has encountered in its own work, with cybercrime accounting for 18% of the 19,241 cases handled by the program in 2025. The program also aired a special episode on Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) to raise public awareness and encourage community action.
“As a program dedicated to giving voice to the public, Resibo believes that protecting children and promoting digital safety are integral to our role as media. The fight against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) is among our strongest advocacies,” said Johnson Tam, GMA Senior AVP for Public Affairs. “Through responsible journalism, public awareness and meaningful partnerships, we aim to help create a safer digital environment where children are protected, their rights upheld and every Filipino is empowered to use technology responsibly.”
The conversation continued through a multi-sector panel with PCOL Richmond L. Tadina, Deputy Director for Administration of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group; Jenelyn Javier, Information Officer II of the Department of Justice – The National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM); Ramil Anton M. Villafranca, Child Protection Officer of UNICEF Philippines; Mery Grace Mongcupa, Social Worker from the Pasig City Government; and Derick Adil, Head of Privacy and AI Governance at Globe. Together, they gave students perspectives on prevention, protection, accountability and the support available when they encounter harm online.
Bringing these voices together reinforced a central message of GoSafe sa Cyberspace: protecting young people online cannot rest on any one sector alone. Globe and GMA aim to build the campaign into a sustained, whole-of-society effort that brings together families, schools, government, law enforcement, child protection advocates and industry to help young people navigate the digital world more safely.
For Globe, educating young people complements the safeguards it continues to strengthen across its network. In 2025, the company blocked more than 967 million scam and spam messages and more than 438,000 domains and URLs containing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials, while its Digital Thumbprint Program has reached more than two million students and educators with lessons on digital citizenship, privacy, cybersecurity and responsible technology use since its launch in 2016.
GoSafe sa Cyberspace will continue to bring online safety education closer to young Filipinos, giving them practical knowledge and skills to recognize risks, protect themselves and make responsible choices online.
