A PROPOSED measure has been filed anew in the House of Representatives that would impose stiffer penalties on child abuse, exploitation, and discrimination cases.

Bataan 1st District Representative Geraldine Roman sought the approval of her House Bill (HB) No. 226 which also seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

During the 18th Congress, the same measure was approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives and was transmitted to the Senate.

According to the bill, fines and/or imprisonment will be imposed on any person who will hire, employ, use, persuade, induce, or coerce a child to perform in indecent shows or models in obscene publications or to sell or distribute the said materials.

Violators will face penalties from 14 years, eight months, and one day up to 17 years and four months.

If the child is below 12 years of age, the penalty becomes 30 years and one day up to 40 years.

Bringing a minor, 12 years or under or who is 10 years or more his junior in hotels, motels, beer joints, discotheques, cabaret, among other similar establishments, shall suffer the penalty from 14 years, eight months, and one day up to 17 years and four months.

Additionally, the violator shall also pay a fine of not less than P500,000.

However, this does not cover any person who is related to the child within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity or any bond recognized by law.

The bill also has provisions covering those who coerce a street child to beg or use begging as a means of living or use them as “middlemen” in drug trafficking and other illegal activities.

Those who will be caught shall be imprisoned for 12 years and one day up to 30 years, according to the bill.

On child labor, violators shall be penalized by imprisonment of one year and one day up to six years, and a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P400,000 or both at the discretion of the court.

Those who facilitate or employ children in hazardous work shall suffer a fine of not less than P200,000 but not more than P1,000,000 or imprisonment of not less than 12 years and one day up to 20 years or both imprisonment and fine at the discretion of the court.

The bill also has provisions on discrimination, particularly covering children of indigenous cultural communities.

The bill states that any person who discriminates against children of indigenous cultural communities shall suffer a penalty from two years, four months, and one day up to four years and two months, and a fine of not less than P50,000 nor more than P100,000.

The offender will also undergo a reeducation and reorientation program on the indigenous peoples’ culture in the Philippines.

Roman has been “championing” equal opportunity for all Filipinos.

For her, equal opportunity is a “state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified.”