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Introduced by Senator Villar 
Explanatory Note 
The Republic of the Philippines, being a party to the Convention on the Rights of the 
Child (CRC), has expressly bound itself to take all appropriate legislative measures to protect the 
child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent 
treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), 
legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child (Article 19, CRC). 
In 
particular, the counw has committed, on account of its accession thereto and in conformity 
therewith, to take all appropriate measures to ensure that school discipline is administered in a 
manner consistent with the child’s human dignity (Article 28 [2], CRC) and that no child shall 
be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 
37, CRC) 
It is hereby stressed that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in 
the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Rights of the Child adopted 
by the United Nations General Assembly in 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights. In fact, the Declaration on the Rights of the Child explicitly provides that “the 
child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, 
including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth”. 
The in-depth study conducted by an independent expert commissioned by the United 
Nations on violence against children reports a wide range of impacts on children subjected to 
such violence which include short and long-term repercussions that are often grave and 
damaging. 
It concluded that “violence may result in greater susceptibility to lifelong social, 
emotional, and cognitive impairments and to heath-risk behaviour. 
Related mental health and 
social problems include anxiety and depressive disorders, hallucinations, impaired work 
performance, memory disturbances, as well as aggressive behaviour. Early exposure to violence 
is associated with lung, heart and liver disease, sexually transmitted diseases and fetal death 
during pregnancy, as well as relationship violence and suicidal attempts. 
The author believes that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her 
personality, should grow up in a peaceful environment. 
The child must be nurture in an 
atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding in order to ensure that they will grow up as 
productive and morally upright citizens. 
All stated, there is an urgent need to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment in the 
home, in schools, in private and public institutions, in the juvenile justice system and in all other 
alternative care system. And this legislation which ensconced that peat idea should be enacted 
soonest. 


S E N A T E  
S.B. 1812 
/ 
L 
Introduced by Senator Villar 
AN ACT 
PROHIBITING THE ACT OF IMPOSING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ON 
CHILDREN, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7610, AS 
AMENDED , OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SPECIAL PROTECTION OF CHILDREN 
AGAINST CHILD ABUSE, EXPLOITATION AND DISCRIMINATION ACT, 
PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of representative of the Philippines in Congress 
assem bled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as “The Anti-Corporal Punishment 
Law of 2007. ”. 
Sec. 2. There shall be incorporated under Sec. 3 of Republic act 7610 under “Definition 
of Terms” an additional section (e) to read as follows: 
“(e) “ Corporal Punishment” refers o the infliction of physical or mental violence or 
blows upon a child as a form of punishment or chastisement including public humiliation, verbal 
abuse, and other forms of punishment that is considered abusive, degrading and not consistent 
with the child’s human dignity considering hisher physical and mental immaturity.” 
Sec. 3 Prohibition on Corporal Punishment - There shall be incorporated under 
Section 10, Article VI on Other Acts or Abuse an additional sub-section (9 to read as follows: 
‘‘(0 Any parent or ascendant, teacher, or guardian who shall inflict corporal punishment 
upon hisher child or a descendant under hisher care, student or ward, respectively, shall suffer: 
(1) The penalty ofprision mayor in the maximum to reclusion temporal in the minimum 
if in consequence of such corporal punishment, the victim shall become insane, 
imbecile or blind. 
(2) The penalty of prision mayor in the medium to prision mayor in the maximum if in 
consequence of such corporal punishment, the victim have lost an eye, a hand a foot, 
n 


an 
incapacitated to engage in the usual physical activities ofa 
Or a leg Or shall have lost the use O f  any such member, or shall have become 
(3) The Penalty of prision correcional in the prision mayor in the minimum if in 
consequence of such Corporal Punishment, the victim injured shall have become 
deformed, or shall have lost any part of his body, or shall have lost the use thereof, or 
shall have been ill or incapacitated to engage in the usual physical activities of a child 
for a period of more than ninety days; 
(4) The penalty of prision covrecionaI in the prision mayor in the maximum if in 
consequence of such corporal punishment, the victim injured shall have been ill or 
incapacitated to engage in the usual physical activities of a child for a period of more 
than thirty days; 
(5) The penalty of prision correcional in the minimum to prision correcional in the 
medium if in consequence of such corporal punishment, the victim shall have 
become ill or incapacitated to engage in the usual physical activities of a child from 
ten to thirty days; 
(6) The penalty to arresto mayor in the maximum toprision correcionul in the minimum 
if in the consequence of such corporal punishment, the victim shall have become ill or 
incapacitated to engage in the usual physical activities of a child for a period of one to 
nine days; 
(7) The penalty to arrest0 mayor in the medium to maximum period when the offender 
has caused physical injuries not requiring medical attendance. 
(8) The penalty of arrest0 mayor in the minimum to medium period if such corporal 
punisbent does not cause any physical or mental injury. 
The teacher who inflicts any corporal punishment as defined in Section 3 shall be liable 
provided hekhe is a teacher in the same school where the child victim is enrolled and regardless 
of the place and time in the corporal punishment was inflicted by the offender upon the child 
victim. The foregoing provisions shall also apply to other school employees and officials 
whether occupying a teaching position or not. 
The penalties prescribed above shall be imposed on the maximum if the victim is below 
twelve years old, and one degree higher if the victim is below seven years old. 
The foregoing provisions shall also apply to the custodians of children in the juvenile 
justice or correction institutions. 
See. 4 Separabili@ Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the other parts thereof not affected thereby shall remain valid. 
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Sec. 5. Repealing Clause. - Sections 3 and 10 of Republic Act 7610, and all other laws, 
acts, presidential decrees, executive orders, administrative orders, rules and regulations 
inconsistent with or ContTary to the provisions of this Act are deemed amended, modified or 
repealed accordingly. 
Sec. 6. Effectiviw. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after completion of its 
publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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