By Roy Pelovello

THE House joint committees on justice and welfare of children have approved a bill banning the pornographic cartoon, popularly known as hentai, and imposing penalties on those engaged in the production and sale of such materials.

The joint committees wanted to consider mere possession of hentai?the Japanese cartoon that depicts children in explicit sexual activity?as illegal act, which is punishable with prison term or fine or both.

Under the proposed Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, child pornography refers to any representation of a child below 18 years of age, engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child primarily for sexual purposes.

The bill?a consolidation of several related proposed measures?provides that the mere possession of hentai may be penalized with six to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of not more than P500,000.

The measure also imposes 12 to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not more than P2 million to those found guilty of hiring, employing, using, persuading, inducing, or coercing a child to perform in the production of child pornographic materials.

The House committee on justice is chaired by Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor, while the House committee on the welfare of children is chaired by Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro.

Teodoro said the bill penalizes the offenders who sell, offer, advertise and promote child pornography. She said this includes people who have been found to possess, download, purchase, reproduce, or make available child pornography materials with the intent of selling or distributing them.

The proposal will complement the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, which is against child prostitution but does not provide adequate protection to victims of other forms of sexual exploitation, particularly child pornography.

Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, another co-author of the bill, said the prohibited acts under the bill includes posting child pornographic pictures or videos on the Internet.

?Once the picture of child victim is flashed either on the Internet or video clip, the picture is open for the entire world to see. The child loses his or her privacy and innocence which can never be restored,? Antonino-Custodio said.

Other authors of the bill are Reps. Rene Velarde (party-list, Buhay), Ignacio Arroyo (Fifth District, Negros Occidental), Rufus Rodriguez (Second District, Cagayan de Oro), Narciso Santiago III (party-list, Alliance for Rural Concerns), Matias Defensor Jr. (Second District, Quezon City), Lorenzo Ta?ada III (Fourth District, Quezon), Edgardo Chatto (First District, Bohol) and Luzviminda Ilagan (party-list, Gabriela).