Party-list solons want stiffer penalties for mail-order bride services
February 7, 2010 12:33 am
MANILA, Feb. 6 — Party-list lawmakers are seeking stiffer penalties for individuals found guilty of exploiting Filipino women by engaging them in mail-order bride services, which is a form of Internet prostitution.
At present, violators of Republic Act No. 6955 or the 1990 Anti-Mail Order Bride Law are meted a jail term of up to six years.
Under House Bill 6961 filed by CIBAC party-list Reps. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales and Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, violators shall face a jail term of up to 20 years and pay a fine of not more than P100,000.
Furthermore, if the offender is a foreigner, he shall be immediately deported and barred perpetually from entering the country after serving his sentence and payment of fine.
Gonzales said because of R.A. 6955, companies engaged in the mail-order bride services have moved into cyberspace devoted to matching men with Filipino women.
"Filipino women were gravely abused by syndicates or people who conduct business and make women a commodity to be bought either through the Internet, website or other written materials," she said.
For his part, Villanueva said with the advent of the Internet, online matchmaking websites have flourished and thus have largely replaced traditional paper-based classifieds.
"This is what they call the new era’s professional prostitution or high end pornography through the web. It downgrades the integrity not only of Filipino women but the country as a whole," he said.
Under HB 6961, it shall be unlawful for anyone to establish or carry on a matchmaking website business, which offers membership for free to Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals either on a mail-order basis or through personal introduction by way of recruitment or through emails or websites in the Internet.
It shall also be unlawful to advertise, publish, print or distribute any brochure, flier or any propaganda material including those distributed and made available through the Internet.
Likewise, it shall also be unlawful to use the postal service and the Internet to promote the mail order bride business according to the measure.
The measure also seeks to penalize Filipino women who voluntarily engage in matchmaking activities and those who patronize the mail-order bride business as an accessory to the offense charged.
The manager, editor in chief, or advertising manager of any newspaper, magazine, television, radio station and other media including Internet websites are likewise prohibited from allowing or consenting to the above- mentioned unlawful acts. (PNA)
scs/LGI
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