FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 11, Section 11, provides: 
The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full 
respect for human rights. 
The elderly have always been victims of moderate to severe abuse. Elderly abuse takes 
on many forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological (emotional) abuse, neglect 
(intended or unintended) and financial exploitation. 
Unfortunately, there are relatively few statistics and research studies regarding violence 
against older or disabled persons. Public and professional awareness and identification of elderly 
abuse is difficult because older or disabled persons are not tied into many social networks such 
as schools or jobs, and may become isolated in their homes, which can increase the risk of 
elderly abuse. Further, elderly abuse is severely underreported, with only a fraction of cases 
reported, according to the most recent studies. Some elder or disabled persons, particularly 
women and minorities, fail to report abuse because of shame, privacy concerns, or as a result of 
prior unsatisfactory experiences with individuals, agencies, or others who lacked sensitivity to 
the concerns or needs of elder or disabled people. Others fail to report abuse because they are 
dependent on their abusers and fear being abandoned or institutionalized. 
Hence, this bill seeks to ensure that older or disabled persons are protected from 
institutional, community, and domestic violence and sexual assault and to improve outreach 
efforts and other services available to older or disabled persons victimized by such violence.* 
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This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
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JtIi. 2/r r’ :j :<\I 
First Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO ENSURE THAT OLDER OR DISABLED PERSONS ARE PROTECTED FROM 
INSTITUTIONAL, COMMUNITY, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL 
ASSAULT AND TO IMPROVE OUTREACH EFFORTS AND OTHER SERVICES 
AVAILABLE TO OLDER OR DISABLED PERSONS VICTIMIZED BY SUCH VIOLENCE 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
msembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Older Filipinos’ Protection 
From Violence Act.” 
SECTION 2. Law School Clinical Programs on Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of the 
Elderly. - The Secretary of Justice shall make grants to law school clinical programs for 
purposes of funding the inclusion of cases addressing cases of elder abuse, neglect, and 
exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual sexual assault, against older or disabled 
individuals. 
SECTION 3. Training Programs for Law Enforcement Officers. - The Secretary shall 
develop curricula and offer, or provide for the offering of, training programs to assist law 
enforcement officers, prosecutors, and relevant officers of courts in recognizing, addressing, 
investigating, and prosecuting instances of elderly abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including 
domestic violence and sexual assault, against older or disabled individuals. 
SECTION 4. Support Sewices. - The Secretary, in cooperation and coordination with 
non-governmental organizations and the Department of Social Work and Development shall 
establish domestic violence programs to encourage the development of programs, including 
outreach, support groups, and counseling, targeted to victims of elderly domestic abuse and 
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establishment of domestic violence shelters, which shall include the use of senior housing, 
nursing homes, or other suitable facilities or services when appropriated as emergency short-term 
shelters or measures for older or disabled individuals who are the victims of elderly abuse, 
including domestic violence and sexual assault, against older or disabled individuals. 
The Secretary shall make grants to nonprofit private organizations to support projects in 
local communities, involving diverse sectors of each community, to coordinate activities 
concerning intervention in and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including 
domestic violence, sexual assault, against older or disabled individuals. 
The Secretary shall also make grants to develop and implement outreach programs 
directed toward assisting older of disabled individuals who are victims of elder abuse, neglect, 
and exploitation, including domestic violence, and sexual assault, against older or disabled 
individuals, as well as programs directed toward assisting the individuals in senior housing 
complexes, nursing homes, board and care facilities, and senior centers. 
For purposes of this section, the term “domestic violence” means an act or threat of 
violence, not including an act of self-defense, committed - 
(A) By a current or former spouse of the victim; 
(B) By a person related by blood or mamage to the victim; 
(C) By a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabitated with the victim; 
(D) By a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; 
(E) By a person who is or has been in social relationship of a romantic or intimate 
nature with the victim; or 
By a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim, or by any other person, if 
the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction of the victim provide for 
legal protection of the victim from the person. 
(F) 
SECTION 5. Training for Health Professionals on Screening for Abuse, Neglect, and 
Exploitation of the Elderly. - The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary, 
develop cumcula and inipleine~it continuing education training programs for adult protective 
service workers, health care providers, including home health care providers, social workers, 
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clergy, domestic violence service providers, including senior centers, adult day care facilities, 
nursing homes, board and care facilities, and senior housing, to approve their ability to recognize 
and address instances of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including domestic violence, and 
sexual assault, against older or disabled individuals. 
The Secretary shall develop and implement separate curricula and training programs for 
medical students, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. 
SECTION 6. Funding. - There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the provisions ofthis Act. 
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with, the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
Section 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall tale effect fifteen days (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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