EVEN if he disagrees with corporal punishment as a way to discipline children, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III believes it is the right of parents to decide how to impose discipline.
This was the governor’s reaction after President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the bill that bans corporal punishment and promotes non-violent discipline of children.
He sees nothing wrong with this since there are already laws that protect a child against abuse like the Violence against Women and Children Act and the Anti-Child Abuse Law. He said there is no need to add more laws related to this.
Davide disagrees with using force to punish a child who commits a mistake, but he also recognizes that parents have the right to discipline their children.
He said he also experienced corporal punishment as a child and employed a similar form of disciplining his children when he became a parent.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, a known children’s rights advocate, said she would not condemn the President for rejecting the measure but emphasized that times are different now.
She is unsure if disciplining children using physical force will still be effective, saying it is best to find out if using force against children is part of discipline or it is already abuse. (from AZLG of Super Balita Cebu, VLA)