THE House Committee on Women and Gender Equality, chaired by Laguna Rep. Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag, on Tuesday approved in principle several House Bills (HBs) aimed at penalizing electronic violence against women and their children (EVAWC). The measures also propose amendments to further strengthen Republic Act 9262, or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004,” to better address modern forms of abuse and protect victims in the digital age.
These are House Bills 217, 394, 2013, 2420, 4071, 4779, 5228, 5642 and 6083.
Matibag emphasized that the bills are designed to confront “violence, abuse, harassment, exploitation both online and offline,” and said the reforms respond to the evolving realities faced by women in a digital age.
“These measures before us are crucial steps toward closing gaps in our legal framework, ensuring that our response to VAW remains relevant, responsive and survivor-centered,” she added.
She added that these HBs aligned with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
GABRIELA Partylist Rep. Sara Jane Elago, who authored HB 4779, stressed the need to explicitly include ICT-related abuse.
“The definition includes any acts or omissions that involve the use or exploitation of information and communications technology which causes or is likely to cause mental, emotional or psychological distress or suffering to the victim,” she said.
Elago later moved for the committee to approve the EVAWC bill in principle, noting that the measure had already undergone extensive deliberations in previous Congresses and was approved by the House and sent to the Senate in the 19th Congress.
She asked that the approval reflect the comments and recommendations raised particularly by Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, and requested the secretariat to draft a substitute bill for the panel’s next meeting.
Bag-ao proposed adding a clause recognizing physical, sexual, and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, consistent with the United Nations declaration on violence against women, and sought to be made a co-sponsor of HB 2013.
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