EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE 
s. No. 
8 1 2
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Senate
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*19 
JUL 29 P5
RECbi. uo
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
DEFINING 
GENDER-BASED 
ELECTRONIC 
VIOLENCE, 
PROVIDING 
PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND PRESCRIBING PENALTIES THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Anti Violence Against Women Act (R.A. 9262) has provided additional legal 
options for women who are victims of violence in the context of domestic or sexual 
relationships. On the other hand, R.A. 9995, or the Anti Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, 
penalizes the unauthorized recording and sharing of photographs and videos. However, 
there is a vacuum of legal remedies available when the nature of the violence tends to 
disparage the personhood and identity of the victims on account of his or her gender, 
and such violence takes place outside the context of a domestic or sexual relationship. 
Likewise, there is a vacuum of legal remedies available when the victim of the violence 
is LGBTQ.
Misogynistic and homophobic attacks on social media are examples of gender- 
based electronic violence. Many of the victims are young people, who use social media 
as their primary outlet of expression. These attacks have the effect of silencing this 
expression and contributing to a culture of misogyny and hate.
This bill proposes to prohibit "gender-based electronic violence", institutes 
protective measures such as the issuance of a protective order, imposes penalties on 
perpetrators, and provides for educational tools against gender-based electronic 
violence.


The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
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RISA HONTIVEROS 
Senator


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
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SENATE
812
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*19 JUL 29 P5:37
RECtiV.Lb'..,..
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
DEFINING 
GENDER-BASED 
ELECTRONIC 
VIOLENCE, 
PROVIDING 
PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND PRESCRIBING PENALTIES THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Gender-based Electronic
2 
Violence Act of 2019".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Principles. -  It is the policy of the State to value the dignity
4 
of every human person and guarantee full respect for human rights. It is likewise the
5 
policy of the state to recognize the role of women in nation-building and ensure the
6 
fundamental equality before the law of women and men.
7 
Sec. 3. Gender-based electronic violence. -  Gender-based electronic violence
8 
(GBEV) is an offense refers to any acts or omissions involving the use or exploitation of
9 
ephemeral data or any form of information and communications technology (ICT) which
10 
causes or is likely to cause mental, emotional, or psychological distress or suffering to
11 
the female victim or Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) victim, and
12 
tending to disparage the dignity and personhood of the same on account of his or her
13 
gender, including but not limited to:
14 
a) Unauthorized recording, reproduction or distribution of videos showing
15 
the victim's naked or undergarment-clad genitals, public area, buttocks
16 
or breasts;
17 
b) Uploading or sharing without the consent of the victim, any form of
18 
media that contain pictures, voice or video of the victim with lewd,
19 
indecent, obscene or sexual content;


1 
c) Harassing or threatening the victim through text messaging, obscene,
2 
misogynistic, homophobic or indecent posts in social media sites, or
3 
other cyber, electronic or multimedia means;
4 
d) Cyber-stalking which includes, but is not limited to the hacking of
5 
personal accounts on social networking sites, the use of location
6 
trackers on cellular devices; and
7 
e) Unauthorized use of the victim's picture, video, voice, name or any other
8 
aspect of the victim's identity and distributing the same in any video
9 
game, phone application, program and the like, which deliberately
10 
exposes the victim to harassment and attack and puts or tends to put
11 
the victim in a bad light or injure the victim's reputation.
12 
Sec. 4. GBEVprotection order. -  A protection order is an order issued under this
13 
Act for the purpose of preventing further acts of gender-based electronic violence
14 
specified in Section 3 of this Act. The relief granted under a protection order serves the
15 
purpose of safeguarding the victim from further harm and electronic violence,
16 
minimizing any disruption in the victim's daily life and activities, including social media
17 
activities. An application for a GBEV protection order must be in writing, signed and
18 
verified under oath by the applicant. It may be filed as an independent action or as an
19 
incidental relief in any civil or criminal case the subject matter or issues thereof
20 
partakes of a violence as described under this Act.
21 
Sec. 5. Penalties. -  The penalty of imprisonment of not less than three (5) years
22 
but not more than ten (10) years and a fine of not less than One hundred thousand
23 
pesos (P100,000.00) but not more than Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), or
24 
both, at the discretion of the court shall be imposed upon any person found guilty of
25 
violating Section 3 of this Act.
26 
If the violator is a juridical person, its license or franchise shall be automatically be
27 
deemed revoked and the persons liable shall be the officers thereof including the editor
28 
and reporter in the case of print media, and the station manager, editor and
29 
broadcaster in the case of a broadcast media.
30 
If the offender is a public officer or employee, or a professional, he/she shall be
31 
administratively liable.
32 
If the offender is an alien, he/she shall be subject to deportation proceedings after
33 
serving his/her sentence and payment of fines.
34 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as reducing penalties or diminishing remedies
35 
available under other existing legislation.


1 
Sec. 6. Mandatory education against gender-based electronic violence. -
2 
Information and communication technology (ICT) courses in high school shall include
3 
age-appropriate educational modules against gender-based electronic violence, such
4 
modules to be developed by the Department of Education (DepEd).
5 
Sec. 7. Exemption. - Nothing contained in this Act, however, shall render it
6 
unlawful or punishable for any peace officer, who is authorized by a written order of the
7 
court, to use the record or any copy thereof as evidence in any civil, criminal
8 
investigation or trial of the crime of gender based electronic violence: Provided, That
9 
such written order shall only be issued or granted upon written application and the
10 
examination under oath or affirmation of the applicant and the witnesses he/she may
11 
produce, and upon showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that gender
12 
based electronic violence has been committed or is about to be committed, and that the
13 
evidence to be obtained is essential to the conviction of any person for, or to the
14 
solution or prevention of such, crime.
15 
Sec. 8. Inadmissibility o f Evidence. -  Any record, photo or video, or copy thereof,
16 
obtained or secured by any person in violation of the preceding sections shall not be
17 
admissible in evidence in any judicial, quasi-judicial, legislative or administrative hearing
18 
or investigation.
19 
Sec. 9. Separability Clause. -  If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
20 
unconstitutional, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and
21 
subsisting.
22 
Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. -  Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
23 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or
24 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended
25 
accordingly.
26 
Sec. 11. Effectivity. -  
This act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
27 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation in
28 
the Philippines.
Approved,