WHEN the COVID-19 virus wreaked havoc in the country, a long-standing culture of sexual situations unearthed a more demoralizing tale among Filipinos. It has shown how pleasures can sometimes be more agonizing than fulfilling – especially if you were a victim of online fraud and you are now on the brink of getting exposed.

Even before the pandemic, a spate of sexual activities, particularly sex on the phone, or “SOP,” were widely regarded and normalized in the Philippines. SOP is a sex simulation over the phone, especially when the persons involved in the act cannot be together in person. For some reason, partners in a long-distance relationship opted SOP to keep intimate with each other. However, this is not the case during the pandemic. 

At the height of the virus’ onslaught in the Philippines, where most people lost their jobs, underprivileged and poverty-stricken Filipinos have found refuge in engaging in this “easy money” activity to survive the bane brought by the worsening global health crisis.

Most were alters, but some were just ordinary citizens trying to earn a living out of their bodies. Unfortunately, even this trend has been used to defraud their bodies for public consumption, and worst – they are not getting paid for it.

And this is where Daddy Blake entered the scene. Daddy Blake, whose real identity remains unknown, rose to fame in 2020 for leaking videos of young men. Most of his targets were physically appealing models and rising TikTok influencers and content creators at that peak.

King, an alter, who was 21 years old at the time of his encounter with Daddy Blake, explained the process of his modus operandi. 

“Gusto po niyang makita ‘yung body mo, after that is ‘yung private part mo naman,” he said.

Despite being proffered a considerable amount of money in exchange for one video, King rejected the proposal.

He mentioned that if Daddy Blake approved the photos, he would then ask his target to send him a video while masturbating in exchange for money.

Now 23, King unveiled how Daddy Blake’s course of action to acquire sexual videos of young men becomes wicked after getting the trust of his prospect. Asked what would happen next after Daddy Blake acquired the videos, he said “yung iba bina-block na niya kapag masiyado nang nakukulitan or tinatakot siya.”

“‘Yung iba naman, ginagamit niya ‘yung video na nakuha niya as pang-blackmail para si guy ay mag-send ulit ng another video,” he added.

According to him, Daddy Blake sells the videos to foreign alter consumers and other online platforms without his victims’ consent.

“Ginagamit niya yun hindi lang para pagkakitaan kundi for personal sexual desire na rin,” claimed King. 

‘Hi, Daddy Blake.’

“Hi, Daddy Blake. I hope you’ll like the video.” If you consume alter content and one of those who fondly watched videos leaked by Daddy Blake, you would know that this was the most common script his victims were saying. According to King, it was Daddy Blake’s way to ensure that the video his victims sent him was made exclusively for him.

Arkin Desbogs, 25, not his real name, another alter source who spoke to republicasia on condition of anonymity, said that Daddy Blake uses several accounts under different Twitter usernames but guises himself as “Daddy Blake” in the middle of the conversation.

With worries that his father might know about his alter interactions, Desbogs stayed silent when the Daddy Blake fraud controversy sparked online. He said he wants to forget what transpired to him with his encounter with Daddy Blake in 2020.

“Totoo po na malaki siya magbigay ng presyo kaya masisilaw ka talaga,” he said.

For his part, Desbogs was promised a payment amounting to P80,000 if he sent the tape to him since he was not as “famous” as the others. 

“’Di ko rin po alam saan kukuha ng ganun kalaki na pera lalo na po at pandemya wala po regular na trabaho magulang ko,” he added.

Unluckily, he was never compensated for sending his video. After the transaction, he had never heard from Daddy Blake again. 

Not until another Twitter user with a different name messaged him.

“Pagkatapos ko po send video blinock niya po ako tapos may nag-dm (direct message) sa’kin na ibang pangalan tinatakot po na kapag nagsumbong ako ikakalat niya po video ko,” he noted.

Although the video has not reached online circulation, he remains fearful that it might spread one day since he knows that Daddy Blake has already gotten his video.

Safeguard

Under Republic Act No. 9995, also known as the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009, it said that without the appro val of the people shown in the content, it is illegal to record videos or take images of a sexual act, the male or female genitalia, or the female breast, among others. The law also prohibits the copying or reproduction of a sexual recording “with or without consideration.”

Any suspect liable for violating the law will face imprisonment for three to seven years and a fine of up to P500,000. However, with the uncertainty of Daddy Blake’s real identity, how would the law safeguard the victims of his online sex fraud?

republicasia consulted the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to ask for possible complaints against the alleged activities of Daddy Blake online but found no records linking him to the said accusations.

Like his suspended alter accounts, Daddy Blake has disappeared like a phantom, or maybe he still perseveres under a new persona living a life free from humiliation. Yet, his imprints in the Twitter community have left a huge mark on how the netizens view his victims. It also revealed the unsafe and vile reality the alter world faces in pursuit of survival amid threats of public shame and abandonment.