By Brian Jules Campued
Senator Robinhood Padilla has filed a bill seeking to impose death penalty as the heaviest punishment for acts of sexual assault or related cases with particularly severe circumstances.
According to Padilla, Senate Bill (SB) No. 2777 aims to strengthen Republic Act No. 8353 or the Anti-Rape Law of 1997, and make the law “stronger and more gender-responsive.”
“Despite the penalties under RA 8353, this representation still finds it compelling to increase the punishment for any person who shall commit an act of rape as stated under Paragraph 2, Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by RA 8353,” Padilla said.
“By doing so, we can be more certain that our laws are stronger, more gender-responsive, and progressive, especially in these changing times,” the lawmaker added.
In filing SB 2777, Padilla cited a 2017 study by the Council for the Welfare of Children and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which showed more males aged 13 to 24 experience sexual violence than females.
If passed into law, SB 2777 will impose harsher penalties, including death penalty, for rape committed with a deadly weapon and involving multiple perpetrators; if the act resulted in the victim’s insanity; attempted rape leading to homicide; or if the crime is committed with any of the 10 aggravating circumstances listed in the existing law.
Under RA 8353, rape is punishable—depending on the act itself and the circumstances surrounding it—with reclusion perpetua or imprisonment from 20 to 40 years and prision mayor or imprisonment from six to 12 years, which can be elevated to reclusion temporal (imprisonment from 12 to 20 years) or reclusion perpetua.
Padilla, likewise, noted that the 1987 Constitution values safeguarding human dignity and human rights, mandating Congress to prioritize measures protecting these rights.
The Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, which Padilla also chairs, is currently probing the policies of television networks and artist management agencies in relation to complaints of abuse and harassment. – av
