Gatchalian renews call to raise sexual consent age amid teen pregnancies

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday reiterated his call for the raising of the age of sexual consent as cases of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines continued to increase in 2019.

Gactchalian made the call as the country celebrates the National Women's Month this March.

A recent report Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) indicated that pregnancy among minors aged 10 to 14 have increased by 7% in 2019 compared to 2018, or 62,510 from 62,341 in 2018.

POPCOM executive director Juan Antonion Perez III also said that two out of three of the partners of teenagers who become pregnant at their age are older by 20 years.

He added that an analysis of 2019 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed there are around 10,000 cases of statutory rape in the country that year.

With this, Gatchalian stressed the need to amend the law on statutory rape to bring to justice abusers who victimize young girls.

Earlier, the senator filed Senate Bill 739 which raises the age of sexual consent to 18 years old from the current 12 years old.

“Sa ating bansa, itinuturing nating age of majority ang edad na 18 ngunit ang age of sexual consent ay edad na 12," he said.

"Dapat lang na amyendahan na ang batas upang maprotektahan natin ang mga kabataan at panagutin ang mga nang-aabuso sa kanila,” he added.

A Senate panel last year approved raising the age of statutory rape to 16 years old.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, has already passed its version of the bill. —LBG, GMA News