A morality watchdog on Friday urged telecoms giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Inc. and other Internet service providers to ban access to all pornographic and obscene material on the Web in the wake of the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex video scandal.

Aldo Filomeno, chairman of the Movement for Better Philippines (MBP), said pornographic videos and other obscene materials would not have proliferated on the Web if PLDT is "stringent in its policy not to provide access to porn."

He also urged other internet providers like Smart, Globe, Sun, and Bayan to "join hands to curb porn."

The MBP issued the call after sex videos of Kho with various women including Halili started proliferating on the Internet. “Katrina Halili and other women are just [one of the] few victims of the hazards of unloading illicit materials in the Internet and mobile phones. There are thousands who are victims of this illegal trade,” Filomeno said in a written statement.

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. and numerous groups have called for the revocation of Kho's license as a cosmetic surgeon after the sex videos leaked on the Internet. The videos showed Kho using a hidden camera to tape his trysts with the women, Revilla said.

Filomeno, who is also a member of the Philippine Alliance Against Pornography, said PLDT introduced phone sex service via PLDT landlines a few years ago. The service was eventually stopped after it was brought to the attention of the National Telecommunications Communication.

The PAAP previously lobbied for the banning of the movie version of Dan Brown's fiction novel "The Da Vinci Code."

'Banning porn a question of rights'

Ryan Flores, threats researcher for IT security firm Trend Micro, said banning of pornographic websites is technically possible since it is already being done in other countries such as China.

"Filtering of sites can be done on the government level. If government forced PLDT to block access to these sites, they could do that," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

He said this can be done by filtering websites that contain pornographic material or by blocking Internet protocol (IP) addresses that support pornographic websites. He added, however, that techno-savvy Internet users can find ways to circumvent such measures by Internet service providers.

He also said that blocking access to such sites could be seen as impinging on the rights of adult Internet users.

Filomeno said curbing pornography on the Internet could be a part of the PLDT's corporate social responsibility programs. He said the campaign against pornography should be included in the "Ako Mismo" campaign sponsored by PLDT and Smart.

“How about challenging the PLDT and other telecoms to start the 'Ako Mismo,' by cleansing the internet with immoral and outrageous  materials?" Filomeno challenged. He also said that the companies should spearhead the advocacy against the proliferation of pornograhy in the Internet.

The two companies are owned by business tycoon Manny Pangilinan. Pangilinan, however, denied any involvement in the said campaign.