House committee backs Roman’s bill on children’s welfare

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – One of the House bills authored by Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine B. Roman, House Bill 5662 has been backed by the chairman of The House committee on the welfare of children, Rep. Divina Grace Yu.

Roman said her bill proposes to make penalties committed against children, as written in Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act of 1992) stiffer for its violators.

“It is our duty to ensure that every Filipino child is protected from harm. Stronger penalties will help act as a deterrent to child abuse and exploitation,” she said.

The bill amends several sections of RA 7610 specifically Section 9 which currently imposes prision mayor in its medium period to any person who shall hire, employ, use persuade, induce, or coerce a child to perform in obscene exhibitions and indecent shows, whether live or in video, or model in obscene publications or pornographic materials or to sell or distribute the said materials. Under HB 5662, such offense shall be penalized with reclusion temporal in its medium period.

It further states that the penalty of reclusion perpetua shall be imposed if the child used as a performer, subject, or seller/distributor is below 12 years of age.

The penalty of reclusion temporal in its maximum period is imposed on any ascendant, guardian, or person entrusted in any capacity with the care of a child who shall cause and/ or allow such child to be employed or to participate in an obscene play, scene act, movie of show or in any other acts covered by the section.

On the other hand, House Bill 6295 authored by Rep. Michael Odylon Romero seeks to increase the penalties of offenses committed against children embodied in RA 9231.
RA 9231 enacted in 2003 penalizes certain exploitative acts with regard to child labor.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development expressed support for the approval of the two measures.