Corporal punishment ban killed

CEBU, Philippines - Six days after the City Council approved a proposed ban on corporal punishment in the city, Mayor Michael Rama announced he would veto the move.

“We will not agree (with the banning of the corporal punishment) in the meantime. I am going to veto it,” Rama said during his State of the City Address (SOCA) yesterday afternoon.

He described the proposed legislation as anti-poor, saying, the P5,000 fine for violators is too much for the less privileged residents of the city.

He asked Councilors Edgar Labella, Robert Cabarrubias, Jose Daluz and Edu Rama to “please take a look and perhaps suggest a better ordinance that will substitute to it.”

During its regular session last week, the Council approved the controversial ordinance that seeks to penalize parents, guardians and teachers who will inflict corporal punishment on children, including verbal assault. The said measure was approved despite Daluz’ objection that parents should not be penalized for imposing disciplinary action on their children.

Several parents have also opposed the piece of legislation, saying there are times when a child must be disciplined by hitting him once in a while.

Rama’s decision to veto the proposed ordinance may not have come as a surprise. Last week, just after the Council approved the move, the mayor said punishment is not always bad for children.

“Kinsa man nato dinhi nga wala makatilaw og bunal sa atong mga ginikanan bi (who among us has not tried being hit by our parents)?” he asked members of the media at a press conference.

Another argument against the proposed ordinance is its supposed redundancy because it is essentially enshrined in Republic Act 7610 or the anti-child abuse law. The national law, however, does not specifically mention that parents or teachers are liable once they impose corporal punishment on their children and students.

Under the proposed ordinance, punishable acts include any form of physical or humiliating, or degrading punishment like kicking, slapping, beating, lashing with the use of instrument like belt, broom and other hard objects.

The pulling of hair, twisting of joints, cutting and shaving hair, piercing of skin, dragging and throwing the child, threats are also prohibited in the ordinance.

Other prohibited acts are the placing of the child inside a room without proper ventilation as punishment, yelling, and making the child to look or feel foolish in front of their peers or the public.  (FREEMAN)