An Waray representative Florencio "Bem" Noel proposed that minors and students should only be allowed to stay in Internet cafes until 6pm or 7pm.

Noel said local governments should compel Internet cafe operators to impose curfews as a condition for granting business permits.

"We appeal to LGUs [local government units] to compel Internet operators to impose a strict student scheme, wherein there's a time limit for students or minors accessing Internet games," he said in a statement.

"By 6pm or 7pm, no students or minors should be seen in front of Internet computers. They should be inside their homes by that time either having dinner or praying the Angelus," he said.

Noel said Internet cafe operators should also be conscientious in offering Internet games that provided good and positive values to children.

The lawmaker made the proposal after receiving several complaints from concerned parents that their children had become "so addicted" to Internet games that they even skipped classes.

He said he had received reports that Internet cafes inside shopping malls were taking in students even during class hours.

"A responsible Internet cafe operator should shoo away uniformed customers who are obviously skipping their classes," he said.

He also expressed alarm that most of the Internet games being offered by the operators were violent and had no educational value.

"What positive values could we get from games whose main objective is to invade a territory, destroy a military base, and fight-off zombies with blazing guns and tanks?" he said.

"Soon we will be producing adults who are war-freaks and utak-pulbura [violent] . . . who will approach their daily problems with the mindset of a warrior or a terminator," he said.

Philippine Daily Inquirer/

Asia News Network

Manila