MANILA, Philippines — Two committees in the House of Representatives approved Thursday a substitute bill raising the age for statutory rape from the current 12 years old to 16 years old. During the joint online hearing of the House committee on revision of laws and committee on welfare of children, lawmakers approved the substitute bill that consolidated 10 proposed measures regarding the matter. Romualdez authored one of the bills that were included in the consolidated substitute bill. Under current Philippine laws, sexual intercourse with children below 12 years old is illegal and tantamount to rape while sexual activity with a person below 18 years of age may constitute child abuse and exploitation. However, Romualdez said the current age for determining the crime of statutory rape in the country is not compliant with the international average as evidenced by a 2015 report released by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) East Asia and Pacific Region.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 27, 2020 09:22 UTC