IN A meaningful celebration of Women’s Month this March, House Deputy Majority Leader and Cebu City Second District Representative Eduardo “Edu” Rama Jr. has thrown his full legislative weight behind the protection and empowerment of Filipino women by principally co-authoring two legislative measures that both offer protection to women from harassment in the digital world and political violence.
Both proposed laws have been welcomed as timely and necessary steps toward a safer, more inclusive Philippines — one where women are free to live, speak, and lead without fear.
As a principal co-author of House Bill 8420, also known as the Expanded Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (E-VAWC) Act, Rama joined colleagues in updating Republic Act 9262 — the original Anti-VAWC Act of 2004 — to address the dangers that women and children now face every day in cyberspace.
“Women in Cebu City and across the Philippines deserve responsive legal protection that reflects the realities of today's digital world,” he said.
The bill formally defines Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Their Children (TFVAWC) as any act committed through electronic or ICT devices that causes physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm.
Covered offenses include non-consensual sharing of intimate images, deepfakes, cyberstalking, online harassment, identity theft via fake social media accounts, and the fabrication of malicious fake news targeting women and children.
Offenders face penalties of reclusion temporal (12 to 20 years’ imprisonment), fines ranging from P300,000 to P500,000, and mandatory psychological counseling.
Victims who are employed will be entitled to a 20-day paid leave — doubled from the current 10-day benefit — during legal proceedings.
Courts will also be empowered to order the immediate takedown or blocking of harmful online content.
The bill also mandates the Department of Justice to administer an Identity and Location Confidentiality Program to shield victim-survivors from being tracked by their abusers, a critical provision as internet use continues to rise in urban centers like Cebu City.
Rama also joined over 30 legislators in filing the prevention of Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) Act, a groundbreaking measure that would, for the first time in Philippine history, define and criminalize Violence Against Women in Politics as a distinct offense under the law.
The bill covers women candidates, elected officials, party members, and campaign staff, protecting them from a wide range of politically motivated abuses — from physical assault and sexual harassment to online trolling, deepfakes, and gendered disinformation.
Protections extend to those who self-identify as female or live as women, regardless of medical, surgical, or legal transition status.
The urgency of the measure is backed by alarming data: in 2022, women held only 24 percent of elected positions in the Philippines — a drop from 30 percent in 2017.
A 2016 Inter-Parliamentary Union survey found that 82 percent of women parliamentarians experienced psychological violence during their term. Political violence, researchers confirm, is a key driver of women’s declining representation in government.
The VAWP Act covers eight categories of prohibited acts: economic violence, institutional violence, physical violence, psychological violence, doxxing, technology-facilitated abuse, semiotic violence, and sexual violence in political settings.
The measure also requires political parties to allocate at least 30 percent of campaign resources to women candidates and adopt a zipper system — alternating men and women — for party-list nominations.
Digital platforms that refuse to act on verified VAWP reports face administrative penalties of P1 million per day. Criminal penalties carry imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than six years, and fines ranging from P100,000 to P1 million depending on the gravity of the offense.
“Our push for the VAWP Act during Women’s Month underscores a vital message: our democracy is weakened when women are silenced, intimidated, or driven out of public life,” Rama said. (PR)