MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are working together for a policy against settlement in incestuous rape and child abuse cases.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the youth being sexually exploited is a real problem nationwide.
Data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that from July 2022 to January 7, 2023, rape was among the three most prevalent crimes.
“Ito ay isa sa mga problema ngayon ng ating republika. Sa totoo lang, mahaba ang paguusap namin sa bagay na ito . Ultimo Korte Suprema kausap namin sa mga bagay na kailangan gawin upang di manatili yung ganitong sitwasyon sa ating bansa, Remulla told reporters Tuesday.
“Ang isang naging agreement is wala ng areglo sa ganitong kaso. Nung araw kasi nagpapa areglo pa yan pero ititigil na namin,” Remulla added.
[This is what we’re discussing with the Supreme Court: how to stop this. One of the agreements is that there will be no more settlements. In the past, they (parties) used to agree to settlements, but we will now put a stop to it.]
Earlier, Remulla urged the PNP to come up with a program to address the rising number of sexual exploitation among the youth and urged the victims and their relatives to not hesitate to come forward and seek the government’s help.