ANTI-STAT RAPE BILL HURDLES BICAM

Atty. Cheryl P. Deloso-Montalla
Congressman, 18th Congress
2nd District, Zambales

PRESS RELEASE
December 14, 2021
Reference: Earl L. Sitaca
09952298300

REP. DELOSO-MONTALLA: ANTI-STAT RAPE BILL HURDLES BICAM

Rep. Cheryl P. Deloso-Montalla, Chairman of the House Committee on Revision of 
Laws, hails the ratification today by the House of Representatives of the bicameral 
conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2332 and 
House Bill No. 7836 on increasing the age in determining statutory rape. 

“In the report, we determined that the age of statutory rape be set to under 16 
years of age in view of the global standard on statutory rape age,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla 
explained. “We also aligned with this bill the age of consent in other crimes under the 
criminal code and other anti-child abuse and exploitation laws like the R.A. No. 7610,”
she added.

The Representative of the 2nd District of Zambales also said that the Committee “… 
also provided a “close-in relationship” or “sweetheart clause” to recognize the legitimate 
relationship between 2 teenagers... that is in consonance with the age of criminal liability 
under RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and 
Discrimination Act and the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act or RA No. 9344, as amended by 
RA No. 10630. Most importantly, rape and other acts of sexual exploitation, under this 
bill, is now applicable to a man, woman, or child.”

“The enactment of this bill is long overdue as the data scream loudly and clearly
speak that the crime of rape remains rampant in the country. What we know are the 
reported cases but the true statistics may be higher considering that there are a lot of 
unreported and unaccounted cases of rape and other forms of sexual abuse and 
exploitation that are happening,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla further said.

“Now that we have ratified the Bi-Cam report on the anti-stat rape bill, it is now a 
step closer to becoming a law! We will always endure to ascertain that our children are 
given optimum protection under our laws and within the bounds of the democratic society 
that we have,” she averred.

Initially, 9 bills were referred to the Committee on Revision of Laws relating to the 
amendments to Anti-Rape Law with specific provisions on increasing the age of consent 
on statutory rape. There were similar bills that were referred to the Committee on Welfare 
of Children Chaired by Rep. Yedda K. Romualdez. The 2 committees jointly heard and 
deliberated exhaustively on the proposed measures and came up with a substitute bill -
HB 7836 or An Act Providing for Stronger Protection Against Rape and Sexual Exploitation 
and Abuse, Including Increasing the Age for Determining the Commission of Statutory 
Rape.

The bill was approved on Third Reading by the House of Representatives on December 1, 2020.