Refine corporal punishment ordinance - Rama

CEBU, Philippines - Most department heads of the City Hall do not support the corporal punishment ordinance.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he discussed the ordinance with the 22 department heads and most of them agreed that it has taken some rights from the parents to discipline their children.

Most believe that the prohibitions against the parents should be differentiated from that of the nannies, teachers, guardians and relatives.

Rama said after his veto, the city council can come up with a better version of the ordinance.

 “They can reintroduce it. They can come up with something better. The ordinance lacks distinctions and very conclusive. Kita ba ka didto if naa’y provision for first offense, second offense, etc? Wala diba?” he added.

He said that the passed ordinance does not seem to have followed the standard guidelines in the formulation of laws.

“When you create an ordinance, you should always ask yourself, does it serve the general welfare?” Rama said.

He believes that the ordinance is destructive to the people of Cebu City. Earlier, he said that it is anti-poor.

Rama said that the council can make the ordinance more comprehensive and clearer.

“They can make another ordinance. Klaruhon na nila, dili pareha adto nga concentrate sa penalty,” Rama said.

Violation of the ordinance called the “Promoting Positive and Non-violent Discipline of Children Ordinance” holds one liable to pay a penalty of P5,000 and imprisonment of not more than six months at the court’s discretion.

Under the ordinance, parents, guardians, relatives, teachers, nannies and house help are prohibited from inflicting pain and causing humiliation to the children in disciplining them.

Among the prohibited acts were pinching the child’s ears, spanking, hitting, slapping, kicking the child, intimidation, exposure to the heat of the sun or rain as a form of punishment, shaving the child’s hair as a form of punishment, verbal abuse, shaking, pulling of hair and forcing the child to kneel on rough surfaces, among others.

Rama said that rather than penalize the parents, the parents must be obliged to attend parenting seminars or counseling to teach them how to properly discipline their children. (FREEMAN)