TINGOG party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, chairperson of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children, on Tuesday extended to President Roa Duterte the heartfelt gratitude of the House of Representatives for the enactment into law of a measure raising the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16.
Republic Act (RA) 116481, signed by President Duterte on March 4, amends RA 3815 or the Revised Penal Code and RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
Romualdez said the law increased the age for determining statutory rape to 16 years old to provide more protection for young people against sexual exploitation and abuse.
Under the new law, rape is committed by a person who shall have carnal knowledge of another person “when the offended party is under 16 years of age or is demented, even though none of the circumstances mentioned above be present.”
She stressed that the establishment of a minimum age of sexual consent is the most important and critical criteria in protecting minors from sexual violence since the present Anti-Rape Law establishes the age of sexual consent at twelve years.
RA 116481 also mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to include in the basic education curriculum and teach age-appropriate subjects tackling the rights and protection of the children in relation to the law.
The previous 12-year-old minimum age of sexual consent in the Philippines was the lowest in Asia and one of the lowest in the world.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said the new law raising the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 is a major development in the campaign against abuse of minors who are among vulnerable sectors of society.
In a statement, PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos said they will intensify their information campaign to raise awareness on the protection of women and minors in support of the law.
The Save the Children Philippines also lauded the enactment of Republic Act 11648.
Save the Children, however, recognizes that the passage of this law is just the beginning of a stronger advocacy for the protection of children from all forms of violence.
“While we celebrate the enactment of RA 11648, we enjoin families and all sectors of society to remain vigilant and continue to work together to protect children from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation,” Save the Children Philippines CEO Atty. Alberto Muyot said.