Rights groups lament Duterte’s veto of ‘anti-palo’ bill

MANILA, Philippines — Organizations pushing for child rights legislation in the Philippines lamented President Duterte’s decision to veto a bill prohibiting parents from spanking their children.

The Child Rights Network (CRN) said the veto of the Positive and Non-Violent Discipline of Children Act is a setback to the government’s commitment to protect children’s rights.

“Beating, kicking, slapping, lashing – these are all violent acts that cannot be carefully practised nor rightly administered. We want to emphasize that violent discipline does not produce law-abiding citizens, but causes juvenile delinquency, aggression, inter-generational transfer of abuse and even drug or alcohol abuse,” CRN said in a statement.

The group noted that the Philippines is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a provision of which specifically states that governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment by their parents or anyone else who look after them. 

“The bill’s primary goal is to educate parents and caregivers on how to give responsive care and instill discipline in children without resorting to physical and humiliating punishment,” it said.

“There are no penal provisions in the bill that prescribes jail time to offenders. Rather, it prescribes seminars on positive discipline and anger management for those who use corporal punishment against children to educate them on alternative approaches to child discipline,” said CRN.

In his veto message, Duterte described the bill as “overly sweeping,” noting that the prohibition on corporal punishment will include those in the confines of a home. 

He said the bill places responsibility of disciplining children in the same category as humiliation and degrading forms of punishment.

The President claimed that restrained corporal punishment has given beneficial results for the society.

CRN said multiple studies have shown the long-term effect of physical and humiliating punishment on child behavior.

“We refute the notion that the practice of positive discipline is a foreign import from the west that is not applicable in the Philippines. As child rights advocates, we bear witness to the fact that it is the Filipino children, not some western nation, that are clamoring for this legislation. The bill could have protected children from all forms of violence,” it said.

“We fear that the veto might even embolden parents and others to further harm children in the guise of discipline,” added the network.