TNE NATION'S ITAIDING NEWSPAPEN
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
House okays stiffer Penalties
for child abuse crimes
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With 164 afnrmative imd no nega-
tive votes, the House of Representa-
tives passed on third and final reading
Monday House Bill 9024 imPosing
stiffer penalties for child abuse, exploi-
tation and discrimination cases.
Authored by Rep. Michael L. Rome-
ro (1 PACMAN Partylist), HB 9024 will
amend Republic Act ?610 (The Special
Protection of Children Against Child
Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination
Act) and RA 9231 (The Special Protec-
tion of Children Against Child Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination Act) .
' The legislative proposal consoli-
{ates bills filed by Reps. Geraldine
Roman (PDP-Laban, Bataan), Gus
Tambunting (PDP-Laban, Paranaque
City), and Manuel Luis T Lopez (NR
Manila).
"This bill seeki to protect and reha-
bilitate children gavely threatened or
endangered by circumstances which
affect or will affect their survival and
normal development over 'ffhich theJ
have no control," said Romero.
Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Divina
Grace Yu, chairperson of the House
Committee on Welfare of Children,
said enactment of the bill wiu help
deter the exploitation and abuse of
children by imposing stiffer penafties
on violators.
Under the bill, a person found
guilty of emptoying hiring, inducing or
coercing a child to perform obscene
exhibitions or pose and model in in-
decent priblication faces a penalty of
reelusion temporal (irnprislnment of
over 12 years).
Currently, the said crime carries a
penalty of prision mayor (six to 12 years
imprisonment).
If the offender is an ascendant,
guardian or person eritrusted to take'
care of the child victim, the prison term
increases from prision mayor to reclu-
' sion temporal in its maximum period
(minimum of 20 years) .
Reclusion temporal in its minimum
period also awaits persons found guilty
of acts o{ neglect, abuse, cruelty, or
exploitation of a child.
Any person who will keep in his or
her company a child who is 12 years old
or 10 years his/herjunior inside a pub-
lic or private place, hotel, motel, beer
joint, cabar€t or tourist resort may be
\ toAq.e- lot/
imprisoned for 12 years, instead of six
years under current laws.
Other penalties
. Prision mayor in its maximum
period (12 years imprisonment) and
P500,000 fine for a Person, owneE
manager or one entrusted with the'
opera(ion ofany public or public place
of accommodation who will Permit a
person:with a child to such Place.
. Tbelve years to life irnprisonment
for a person found guilty of coercing,
intimidating or forcing a street child
or any other child to beg as means
of living, act as conduit in drug iraf-
ficking or pushing and conduct illegal
activities.
.
Minimum imprisonment of one
year and maximum of six years and 6le
ofnotless than F300,000 for violation of
antlchild labor practices;
. Fine of not more lhan Fl million
or imprisonment of 12 years to 20 years
for emploJnnent of a minor in hazard-
ous work
Prision correctional in its medium
period (three years imprisonmenu in-
stead of six months, for discrimination
of children of members of indigenous
cultuml communities,