Panukalang magdedeklara sa 'child marriages' na iligal pasado sa Senado
MANILA, Philippines — Pasado na sa ikatlo at huling pagdinig ng Senado ang Senate Bill 1373, bagay na layong gawing iligal ang pagkakasal sa sinumang menor de edad sa bansa.
Ito ay matapos ang 21-0 boto ng mga senador pabor sa SB 1373, na kilala rin sa tawag na "Girls not Brides bill," Lunes.
Sa ilalim nito, idedeklarang iligal ang lahat ng kasal ng mga taong wala pang 18-anyos — sa pamamagitan ng church, civil, o anumang "recognized traditional, cultural or customary manner" wedding na kinikilala ng batas.
"We are the top 12th country [in the world] in terms of the number of child brides. A shocking 726,000 of our girls have been contracted into marriages they never asked for," ayon kay Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
"It is our duty to protect them. Our girls now & tomorrow deserve better. Konti na lang, magiging batas na! Am excited."
AM SO HAPPY! Pasado na sa Senado ang GIRLS NOT BRIDES ACT! We are FINALLY so close to making child marriages illegal in the Philippines. ?????????????
— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) November 9, 2020
Let's show our girls that their education, health and futures matter to us. Let's give our children a fighting chance. #GirlsNotBrides pic.twitter.com/kurtCYKCZX
Maliban kay Hontiveros, kasama rin sina Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Sen. Sonny Angara, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Sen. Imee Marcos, Sen. Francis Pangilinan at Sen. Joel Villanueva sa mga may-akda ng panukala.
May kulong, multa
Kung tuluyang maisasabatas, pwedeng makulong ng anim na taon at isang araw hanggang 12 taon (medium period) ang sinumang magdudulot, mag-aasikaso o magfa-facilitate ng child marriage.
Maliban pa 'yan sa multa na hindi bababa ng P40,000. Mas malala naman ang magiging parusa kung kamag-anak mismo ang pasimuno ng nasabing kasal.
"[S]hould the perpetrator be an ascendant, stepparent, or guardian of the minor, the penalty imposed shall be prision mayor in its maximum period, a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) and the loss of parental authority over the same."
Una nang sinuportahan ng Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang nasabing panukala, lalo na't dumarami raw ang kabataan na nasasadlak sa kahirapan dahil sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
"The current situation demands an immediate and stronger protection for children against possible abuse by imposing sanctions on individuals who participate in the practice of child marriage," ayon kay Jacqueline Anne de Guia sa isang pahayag.
Sinuportahan ng Commission on Human Rights ang pagpasa ng Senado sa second reading ng Senate Bill 1373 o “Girls Not Brides Act” na magbabawal sa child marriage sa bansa. pic.twitter.com/dLUe9ZtSre
— News5 (@News5PH) October 14, 2020
Paano ilalapat sa Filipino Muslims?
Kahit na inoobliga ng Family Code na 18 taong gulang pataas ang ikakasal, pinapayagan ng Islamic laws sa Pilipinas ang pagkakasal sa mga menor.
Ito ay alinsunod sa Article 16 ng Code of Muslim Personal laws of the Philippines, na nagsasabing okey lang ito basta't 15-anyos na ang lalaki o nagdadalaga na ang babae.
"Any Muslim male at least fifteen years of age and any Muslim female of the age of puberty or upwards and not suffering from any impediment under the provisions of this Code may contract marriage. A female is presumed to have attained puberty upon reaching the age of fifteen."
Pero kung maisasabatas ang SB 1373, lalabas na bawal na rin ito para sa mga Muslim dahil magiging sakop na rin sila sa pagbabawalan.
Titiyakin kasi ng National Commission on Muslim Filipino (NCMF), sa ilalim ng Section 9 (j) na maipatutupad ang nasabing panukala kung tuluyang magiging batas.
"[The NCMF] shall include in its program of action the awareness of Muslim communities on the impacts and effects of child marriage in the over-all health and development of children; the provisions of this law; ensure the implementation of this Act; monitor and report cases of child marriages in communities of jurisdiction."
"The issue of child, early and forced marriages is one largely invisible to us here in Metro Manila, but it is a tragic reality for scores of young girls who are forced by economic circumstances and cultural expectations to shelve their own dreams," ayon pa kay Hontiveros. — may mga ulat mula kay The STAR/Paolo Romero at News5
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