President Rodrigo Duterte approved the bill that raises the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16.
Released on Monday, March 7, 2022, Malacañang said that the Republic Act (RA) 116481 revisited the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.
RA 116481 was described as “an act providing for stronger protection against rape and sexual exploitation and abuse, increasing the age for determining the commission of statutory rape.”
The law strengthens protection against sexual offenders and abusers by raising age of consent to 16 years of age. This indicates that any adult who have sexual relations or conducts lascivious activities with minors will automatically be guilty of rape.
However, the new law exempts minors under the age of 16 as long as both parties would not exceed the three years gap. It must also be non-exploitative, with consent and in absence of abuse.
In 2019, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a Senate Bill No. 163 or Raising the Age of Sexual Consent Act that would allow to increase the age to 18 years.
“For every hour that we do not pass this bill, another child’s future is put on the line. If we can repair this law, we can prevently repair the road of millions of children’s lives in the future,” Senator Hontiveros stated.
Last 2021, United Nations (UN) Philippines appealed to the government to immediately increase the age of statutory rape which was previously below 12 years old. Philippines had the lowest minimum age for sexual consent in Asia and one of the lowest globally.
