Duterte vetoes ‘anti-palo’ bill
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2019 09:02:44 +0000
PRESIDENT Duterte speaks during a gathering at the Manila Hotel Tuesday. (Presidential photo)
President Duterte has vetoed the “anti-palo” bill or the “The Positive and Non-Violent Discipline of Children Act” which seeks to protect children from any form of violence at home, school, and other institutions.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea yesterday confirmed that Duterte vetoed the measure which is a consolidated version of Senate Bill No. 1477 and House Bill No. 8239 that seeks to protect minors from beating, kicking, slapping, and all forms of physical abuse done by their parents.
In his veto message, Duterte believes that parents using corporal punishment to discipline their children turn them into law-abiding citizens and that the Philippines should not follow the trend of Western countries which sees the act as outdated.
Duterte said that while he agrees that children should be protected from humiliating forms of punishments, he does not share the view that the scope of the measure should include the households.
“I do not share such an overly sweeping condemnation of the practice,” Duterte said.
According to the President, he believes that responsible parents can administer corporal punishment in a self-restrained manner that the child will remember it as a form of love and discipline, not as hatred and abuse.
“Such manner of undertaking corporal punishment has given rise to beneficial results for society, with countless children having been raised up to become law-abiding citizens with a healthy respect for authority structures in the wider community,” he said.
According to Medialdea, Duterte wants parents to have the authority over their children, especially when it comes to disciplining them.
“Yung paternal authority sa bata nandoon sa mga magulang, sila unang magdi-discipline sa mga anak nila. ‘Wag lang yung sobra,” he said. “Alangan namang ikaw papabayaan mo anak mo iba bubogbog,” he added.
The anti-palo bill aims to implement a comprehensive program to promote positive and nonviolent discipline instead of physical, humiliating, or degrading acts as a form of discipline of children. (Argyll Geducos)