1.

WATER SHORTAGE

2. INVESTMENT SCHEME

3. The hit-and-run by a Chinese fishing vessel of Philippine fishing boat Gem-Ver 1 near Recto

Bank in the West Philippine Sea

4. COA report, some STL outlets had been under-remitting to the state. The shortfall amounted

to at least P4 billion from 2017 to 2018.

5. NO TO CATCALLING. A new law sets down penalties for various forms of gender-based
sexual harassment

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that penalizes
wolf whistling, catcalling, misogynistic and homophobic slurs, unwanted sexual advances, and
other forms of sexual harassment in public places, workplaces, and schools as well as in online
spaces.

The law, called the Safe Spaces Act or Republic Act No 11313
6. FAKE NEWS

7. DENGUE OUTBREAK

8. SONA

9.DEATH PENALTYY

10. ENDO

11. MMDA – TRAFFIC

12. The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act prohibits public officers from “directly or
indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit, for himself or
for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the government
and any other party, wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene under the
law.”

But the same law allows “unsolicited gifts or presents of small or insignificant value offered or
given as a mere ordinary token of gratitude or friendship according to local customs or usage.”

13. Hong Kong is met with concern because of the increasingly unruly protests that have been
going on for months, and the impending government response to it.
It began when the people protested the amendment of a law that would allow Chinese nationals
to be extradited to and face trial in the Chinese mainland. That law has been suspended, but the
protesters want it permanently scrapped.
New law punishes wolf whistling, catcalling, online sexual harassment

NO TO CATCALLING. A new law sets down penalties for various forms of gender-based sexual
harassment
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law that penalizes
wolf whistling, catcalling, misogynistic and homophobic slurs, unwanted sexual advances, and
other forms of sexual harassment in public places, workplaces, and schools as well as in online
spaces.

The law, called the Safe Spaces Act or Republic Act No 11313, was signed on April 17. A copy
of the law was made public on Monday, July 15, by Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros, who
principally authored and sponsored the measure in the Senate.

The law also penalizes online sexual harassment, including sexual slurs in private messages.

Forms of sexual harassment and corresponding penalties imposed by Safe Spaces Act:

First degree offenses:

 Cursing
 Catcalling
 Wolf-whistling
 Leering and intrusive gazing
 Taunting, unwanted invitations
 Misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic, and sexist slurs
 Persistent unwanted comments on one’s appearance
 Relentless requests for personal details such as name, contact,
and social media details; or destination
 Use of words, gestures, or actions that ridicule on the basis of
sex, gender, or sexual orientation; identity and/or expression
including sexist, homophobic, transphobic statements and slurs

 Persistent telling of sexual jokes

 Use of sexual names, comments, and demands
 Any statement that has made an invasion on a person's personal
space or threatens the person's sense of personal safety

Penalty:

 1st offense: P1,000-fine and 12-hour community service with

Gender Sensitivity Seminar
 2nd offense: 6-10 days in prison/P3,000 fine
 3rd offense: 11-30 days in prison and P10,000-fine

2nd degree offenses:

 Making offensive body gestures at someone

 Public masturbation
 Flashing of private parts
 Groping
 Similar lewd actions

Penalty:

 1st offense: P10,000-fine and 12-hour community service with

Gender Sensitivity Seminar
 2nd offense: 11-30 days in prison/P15,000 fine
 3rd offense: 1 month and 1 day to 6 months in prison and P20,000
fine
3rd degree offenses:

 Stalking
 Sexual advances, gestures, and statements mentioned
previously with pinching or brushing against the body of the
offended person

 Touching, pinching, or brushing against the genitalia, face,

arms, anus, groin, breasts, inner thighs, face, buttocks, or any
part of the victim's body

Penalty

 1st offense: 11-30 days in prison/P30,000-fine with attendance to

Gender Sensitivity Seminar
 2nd offense: 1 month and 1 day to 6 months in prison and
P50,000-fine
 3rd offense: 4 months and 1 day to 6 months in prison/P100,000-
fine

While Duterte signed the law, he himself had been accused of violating a similar measure in his
hometown of Davao City.

Weeks before he was sworn in as president, Duterte wolf-whistled GMA 7 reporter Mariz Umali
during a press conference, in violation of Davao City's own Women Development Code, which
Duterte himself signed when he was mayor.

Throughout his presidency so far, Duterte has also spewed out sexist remarks, including rape
jokes, that drew widespread condemnation. (READ: Not just a joke: The social cost of Duterte's
rape remarks)

Responsibility of establishments. To make sure these acts are punished, the law orders that the
management of restaurants, cinemas, malls, bars, and other privately-owned places open to the
public adopt a "zero-tolerance policy." They are to help the victim by coordinating with local
police "immediately after" the sexual harassment and make CCTV footage available when
ordered by the court.

Responsibility of LTO, LTFRB. It will be the Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation
Franchise Regulatory Board that will penalize drivers of public utility vehicles. The punishment
includes canceling the license of the driver and suspending or revoking the franchise of the
transportation operator.

Responsibility of local government units. LGUs are to pass an ordinance localizing the national
law within 60 days of the law's effectivity. LGUs shall bear the "primary responsibility" of
enforcing the law. The Department of Interior and Local Government is supposed to make sure
LGUs comply.

Online sexual harassment

Online harassment is defined by the law as the "use of information and communication
technology in terrorizing and intimidating victims through physical, psychological, and
emotional threats."

Forms of online sexual harassment and penalties for each are as follows

 Unwanted sexual misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic, and

sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or
through direct and private messages
  Invasion of victim's privacy through cyberstalking and incessant
messaging
 Uploading and sharing without the consent of the victims, any
form of media that contains photos, voice, or video with sexual
content
 Unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim's
photos, videos, or any information online
 Impersonating identities of victims online or posting lies about
victims to harm their reputation
 Filing false abuse reports to online platforms to silence victims

Penalty

 2 years, 4 months, and 1 day to 4 years and 2 months in prison

or P100,000 to P500,000-fine, or both

The law puts the Philippine National Police's Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNPACG) in charge of
apprehending violators. The PNPACG must develop an online mechanism for reporting, in "real
time," gender-based online sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment in workplaces, educational institutions

The act defines sexual harassment in workplaces this way: "An act or series of acts involving
any unwelcome sexual advances, requests or demand for sexual favors or any act of sexual
nature, whether done verbally, physicall or through the use of technology such as text
messaging or electronic mail or through any other forms of information and communication
systems, that has or could have detrimental effect on the conditions of an individual's
employment or education, job performance or opportunities."

It also includes unwanted conduct of sexual nature or conduct based on sex affecting the
dignity of a person.

Employers and other persons of authority must prevent or punish these acts, says the law.
Among actions they must pursue is the creation of an independent internal committee to
address complaints and investigate them. The committee should be headed by a woman and
must be at least half composed of women.

The same responsibility is placed on the shoulders of school heads for sexual harassment in
educational and training institutions.