Republic Act No.

11313 – SAFE SPACES ACT

Enacted: July 23, 2018

BACKGROUND: An act defining gender-based sexual harassment in streets, public spaces, online, workplaces, and
educational or training institutions, providing protective measures and prescribing penalties therefor.

PROHIBITED ACTS:

1. Gender-Based Streets and Public Spaces Sexual Harassment (Sec. 4)

Requisites:

a. Any person commits any unwanted and uninvited sexual actions or remarks which include the following:
 Catcalling
 Wolf-whistling
 Unwanted invitations
 Misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slurs
 Persistent uninvited comments or gestures on a person’s appearance
 Relentless requests for personal details
 Statement of sexual comments and suggestions
 Public masturbation or flashing of private parts
 Groping, or
 Any advances, whether verbal or physical.
b. The act is unwanted and threatens one’s sense of personal space and physical safety; and
c. It is committed in public spaces such as alleys, roads, sidewalks and parks, or performed in buildings, schools,
churches, restaurants, malls, public washrooms, bars, internet shops, public markets, transportation terminals
or public utility vehicles.

2. Gender-Based Online Sexual Harassment (Sec. 12)

Acts

Any person who uses information and communications technology in:

 Terrorizing and intimidating victims through physical, psychological, and emotional threats, unwanted sexual
misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or through
direct and private messages
 Invasion of victim’s privacy through cyberstalking and incessant messaging
 Uploading and sharing without the consent of the victim any form of media that contains photos, voice, or video
with sexual content
 Any unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim’s photos, videos, or any information online
 Impersonating identities of victims online
 Posting lies about victims to harm their reputation
 Filing false abuse reports to online platforms to silence victims

3. Qualified Gender-Based Streets, Public Spaces and Online Sexual Harassment (Sec. 15)

The penalty next higher in degree will be applied in the following cases:

a. If the act takes place in a common carrier or PUV, including, but not limited to, jeepneys, taxis, tricycles, or app-
based transport network vehicle services, where the perpetrator is the driver of the vehicle and the offended
party is a passenger.
b. If the offended party is a minor, a senior citizen, or a person with disability (PWD), or a breastfeeding mother
nursing her child.
c. If the offended party is diagnosed with a mental problem tending to impair conset;
d. If the perpetrator is a member of the uniformed services, such as the PNP, and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP), and the act was perpetrated while the perpetrator was in uniform; and
e. If the act takes place in the premises of a government agency offering frontline services to the public and the
perpetrator is a government employee.
 4. Gender-Based Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (Sec. 16)

Acts

a. Any unwelcome sexual advances, requests, or demand for sexual favors or any act of sexual nature, whether
done verbally, physically or through the use of technology such as text messaging or electronic mail or through
any other forms of information and communication systems, that has or could have a detrimental effect on the
conditions of an individual’s employment or education, job performance or opportunities.
b. A conduct of sexual nature and other conduct-based on sex affecting the dignity of a person, which is
unwelcome, unreasonable, and offensive to the recipient, whether done verbally, physically or through the use
of technology such as text messaging or electronic mail or through any other forms of information and
communication systems;
c. A conduct that is unwelcome and pervasive and creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating environment for
the recipient. Provided, that the crime of gender-based sexual harassment may also be committed between
peers and those committed by a superior officer by a subordinate, or to a teacher by a student, or to a trainer
by a trainee.

PERSONS LIABLE

1. Any person regardless of the motive for committing such action or remarks (Sec. 4), including:
a. Public utility vehicle operators and drivers (Sec. 6)
b. If perpetrator is a juridical person, the officers thereof, including the editor or reporter in the case of print
media, and the station manager, editor and broadcaster in the case of broadcast media.
c. Aliens
d. Members of the uniformed services, such as the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) while
the perpetrator was in uniform.
e. Co-workers or superior officers of the victim in a workplace, a subordinate towards a superior officer or a
student towards the teacher, or a trainee towards a trainor. (Sec 16)
f. Principals, school heads, teachers, instructors, professors, coaches, trainers, or any other person who has
authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in an educational or training institution (Sec. 23)
 Republic Act No. 11036 – MENTAL HEALTH ACT

Enacted: July 24, 2018

BACKGROUND: An act establishing a national mental health policy for the purpose of enhancing the delivery of integrated
mental health services, promoting and protecting the rights of persons utilizing psychiatric, neurologic and psychological
health services, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purpose.

PROHIBITED ACTS:

1. Any person who commits any of the following:

a. Failure to secure informed consent of the service user (the person with lived experience of any mental
health condition including persons who require or are undergoing psychiatric, neurologic or psychosocial
case), unless it falls under the exceptions provided under Section 13 of the Act;
b. Violation of the confidentiality of information;
c. Discrimination against a person with a mental health condition; and
d. Administering inhumane, cruel, degrading or harmful treatment not based on medical or scientific evidence.
 Republic Act No. 11229 – CHILD SAFETY IN MOTOR VEHICLES ACT

Enacted: July 23, 2018

BACKGROUND: An act providing for the special protection of child passengers in motor vehicles and appropriating funds
therefor.

PROHIBITED ACTS

1. Any driver of a covered vehicle who does not properly secure at all times a child, in a child restraint system while
the engine is running or transporting such child on any road, street or highway unless the child is at least one
hundred fifty (150) centimeters or fifty-nine (59) inches in height and is properly secured using the regular seat belt.
(Sec. 4)
2. Any driver who, notwithstanding the child being secured in a child restraint system, leave such child unaccompanied
by an adult in a motor vehicle. (Sec. 4)
3. Any driver who allows a child twelve (12) years and below of age, who does not meet the height requirement set
forth in Section 4 of this Act and is not properly secured using the regular seat belt in the front seat, to sit in a front
seat of a motor vehicle with a running engine or while such child is being transported on any road, street or highway,
unless the child (Sec 5)

4. Any manufacturer, distributor, importer, retailer, and seller which fails to secure from the Bureau of Product
Standards (BPS) a Philippine Standards (PS) mark license or Import Clearance Certificate (ICC) license prior to the
marketing, sale and distribution of their products. (Sec. 6)

5. Any person, company, partnership, sole proprietorship, manufacturer, distributor, and/or importer who
manufactures, uses, imports, sells, distributes, donates, leases, advertises, promotes, or otherwise markets the use
of substandard or expired child restraint system. (Sec 7)

6. Any person who tampers, alters, forges and imitates the PS mark or the ICC stickers in the child restraint system.
(Sec 10)
 Republic Act No. 11222 – SIMULATED BIRTH RECTIFICATION ACT

Enacted: July 23, 2018

BACKGROUND: An act allowing the rectification of simulated birth records and prescribing administrative adoption
proceedings for the purpose.

PROHIBITED ACTS:

Any person who shall commit any of the following acts:

(a) Obtaining consent for an adoption through coercion, undue influence, fraud, improper material inducement, or
other similar acts;

(b) Noncompliance with the procedures and safeguards provided by law for the adoption; or

(c) Subjecting or exposing the child to be adopted to danger, abuse, or exploitation.