Senate passes anti-voyeurism bill on 2nd reading

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate on Wednesday night passed on second reading the anti-photo and video voyeurism bill which Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, one of its principal authors, said has been gathering dust in the chamber. During the deliberation, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. pushed for stiffer penalties against voyeurs and sex video distributors to prove that the government is serious in curbing pornography. The chamber approved his recommendation of changing the proposed one to five years imprisonment to six to 10 years jail term and increasing the fines from P10,000-P50,000 to P100,000-P500,000. “The rampant circulation of sex scandal videos and other forms of pornography is truly disturbing because our youth have easy access to these materials, worsened by the humiliation victims endure after the circulation of their images, particularly the women who were videotaped or photographed without their consent," Revilla said. Under the bill authored by Escudero, Santiago and Senator Pilar Juliana Cayetano, it shall be unlawful to capture an image of a private area of an individual or any private act without his/her consent and knowingly does so under circumstances in which the individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy. It shall also unlawful to capture an image of a private area of an individual or any private act with his/her consent but broadcasts the said image without the written permission or consent of said individual. Santiago earlier said that the bill has been gathering dust in the Senate since June 2, 2008 when Escudero reported it to the floor. She filed the proposed measure on July 4, 2007. The issue of sex videos caught national attention after Revilla delivered a privilege speech denouncing celebrity doctor Hayden Kho Jr. for videotaping his intimate private activity with several women, including actress Katrina Halili, without their consent. The videos were eventually uploaded on the Internet and reproduced in DVDs. The senator urged the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) to revoke the medical license of Kho and ban him from the practice of medicine perpetually. - GMANews.TV