Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
1* Regular Session

9
HOUSE BILLNO._ 222

Introduced by Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List
Representative Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Mail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who publishes her intent to marry
someone from another country. This label has been commonly used in relation to Filipino
women. Historically, mail-order brides were women who listed themselves in catalogs and were
selected by men for marriage.

Mail-order bride services are outlawed in the Philippines under the 1990 Anti-Mail Order
Bride Law, and violators could face up to six years in prison. But companies have just moved
into cyberspace devoted to matching men with Filipinas.

Filipino women were gravely abused by syndicates or people who conduct business and
make women a commodity to be bought either in the internet, website or other written materials
With the advent of the intemet, online matchmaking websites have proliferated and largely
replaced traditional paper-based classifieds.

This is what they call the new era’s professional prostitution or high end pornography
through the web. This act downgrades the integrity and status not only of Filipino women but the
Filipino citizens as a whole to the detriment of our beloved nation. The 1987 Constitution in
Article 2 Section 14 recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the
fundamental equality before the law of women and men

The immediate passage of the bill serves the intention of the constitution and preserves

the honor of our Beloved Philippine Nation
Hon. ae

Representative, CIBAC Party List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
1* Regular Sessi
B22
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Citizens’ Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party List
Representative Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales

AN ACT
PROTECTING FILIPINO WOMEN AGAINST UNSCRUPULOUS INDIVIDUALS
OPERATING IN THE INTERNET WHO ARE ENGAGED IN MATCH-MAKING
ACTIVITIES AND OTHER VARIOUS SCHEMES, PURPOSELY FOR MARRIAGE
TO FOREIGN NATIONALS, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT
NO. 6955, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTI-MAIL ORDER BRIDE LAW

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 2 and 4 of Republic Act No. 6955 is amended to read as follows:
“Section 2. Pursuant thereto, it is hereby declared unlawful:

(a) For a person, natural or juridical, association, club or any other entity
to commit, directly or indirectly, any of the following acts

(1) To establish or carry on a business INCLUDING THOSE
MATCHMAKING WEBSITES WHICH — OFFERS
MEMBERSHIP WHETHER FOR FREE OR WITH A FEE
which has for its purpose the matching of Filipino women for
marriage to foreign nationals (either) on a mail-order basis (or)
through personal introduction BY WAY OF RECRUITMENT
OR THROUGH EMAILS OR WEBSITES IN THE
INTERNET,

(2) To advertise, publish, print or distribute, or cause the
advertisement, printing or distribution of any brochure, flier or any
propaganda material, INCLUDING THOSE DISTRIBUTED

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AND MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE INTERNET
WHICH ARE calculated to promote the prohibited acts in the
preceding subparagraph;

(3) To solicit, enlist or in any manner attract or induce any Filipino
woman to become a member in any club or association whose
objective is to match women for marriage to foreign nationals
(either) on mail-order basis (or) through personal introduction OR
THROUGH EMAILS OR WEBSITES IN THE INTERNET
WHETHER FOR FREE OR WITH A FEE;

(4) To use the postal service AND THE INTERNET to promote
the acts in subparagraph 1 hereof.

THIS ACT ALSO PENALIZES FILIPINO WOMEN WHO
VOLUNTARILY ENGAGED THEMSELVES IN MATCHMAKING
ACTIVITIES AND THOSE WHO PATRONIZE THE MAIL-ORDER
BRIDE BUSINESS AS AN ACCESSORY TO THE OFFENSE CHARGED.

(b) For the manager, EDITOR IN CHIEF or officer-in-charge or
advertising manager of any newspaper, magazine, television of any newspaper,
magazine, television or radio station, of other media INCLUDING INTERNET
WEBSITES AND OTHER SCHEMES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE
WORLDWIDE WEB, or of an advertising agency, printing company or other similar
entities, to knowingly allow or consent to the acts prohibited in the preceding paragraph.”

Section 4. Any person found guilty by the court to have violated any of the acts
herein prohibited shall suffer an imprisonment of not less than TWELVE (12) YEARS
AND ONE (1) DAY BUT NOT MORE THAN TO TWENTY (20) YEARS, AND A
FINE OF NOT LESS THAN FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P50, 000.00) BUT NOT
MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (P100, 000.00): Provided,
That if the offender is a foreigner, he shall be immediately deported and barred forever
from entering the country after serving his sentence and payment of fine.

SECTION 2. A new section is hereby added after Section 4 of R.A. No. 6955 as follows:

Section 5.A _1MPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS. -

THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (DFA), THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION (DOTC), THE NATIONAL
COMMISSION ON THE ROLE OF FILIPINO WOMEN (NCREW), AND AT LEAST
THREE (3) REPRESENTATIVES FROM NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

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(NGOS), WHICH ARE ENGAGED IN ASSISTING VICTIMS OF MAIL-ORDER BRIDE
OTHER SCHEMES, SHALL BE CHARGED WITH CARRYING OUT THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT AND SHALL FORMULATE ITS IMPLEMENTING
RULES AND REGULATIONS WITHIN NINETY (90) DAYS AFTER THE
EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT.”

SECTION 3. Separability Clause. - If any part hereof, is held invalid or unconstitutional,
the remainder of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid and subsisting

SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SECTION 5. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,