Anti-grooming bill advances in House

MANILA — The House of Representatives has approved, on second reading, a measure defining and penalizing the act of grooming.

The bill defines grooming as a “predatory conduct, an act or pattern of acts of establishing a relationship or trust or emotional connection by a person with a child or someone who is believed to be a child, and/or the child’s family, guardian, or caregivers, whether in person or via electronic and other similar devices, for the purpose of perpetrating sexual abuse or exploitation.”

It proposes fines and/or a prison term for individuals found guilty of grooming.

“The penalty of prison mayor in its minimum period or a fine of not less than P300,000 but not more than P600,000, or both at the discretion of the court shall be imposed upon any person found guilty of the act of grooming… If the perpetrator holds a position of authority, influence, trust, or moral ascendancy over the victim, the maximum applicable penalty shall be imposed… If the perpetrator is an adult and the victim is a child, the penalty of imprisonment shall be mandatory,” the bill stated.

The proposed measure also expands the scope of the Safe Spaces Act, and penalizes gender-based sexual harassment in the workplace with prison correccional in its maximum period and/or a fine of P250,000 to P500,000.

The House of Representatives also approved on 2nd reading House Bill 11616 strengthening the powers and functions of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

The proposed measure authorizes the IPOPHL to gather intelligence information related to violations of the intellectual property law, conduct investigations and visits to establishments, maintain a database of IP cases, and execute administrative orders. 

It also empowers the IPOPHL to issue warnings, recommend cancellation of licenses or permits, request for implementation of decisions by government agencies and report enforcement results. It further increases the range of administrative fines that can be imposed to anywhere from P100,000 to P1,000,000.

Another bill approved by the House on 2nd reading is House Bill 11601 seeking to institutionalize the community-driven approach as a national strategy for inclusive growth and social protection.

The lower chamber meanwhile adopted the Senate’s version of the bill Strengthening the Right of Government to Expropriate Lands for Socialized Housing.