Bill calling for sex offenders’ registry gains ground in House

A proposal to create a national sex offender registry has gained ground in the House of Representatives with the filing of a bill to establish a public database of criminals with a record of sex-related crimes.

Under the bill filed by ACT-CIS Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, a former police director who headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the sex offender registry system will be created to help authorities monitor the activities of convicted sexual predators.

The filing of the bill came several weeks after Australia announced a P66-million endowment for a program to combat child trafficking in the Philippines.

One of the components of the program is to advocate for a sex offender registry to be made public nationwide.

In an explanatory note, Pagdilao said the database system “will boost the country’s capability to monitor the activities of foreign pedophiles and at the same time warn communities that a sexual predator may be within their midst.”

“The aim is not to humiliate or embarrass convicted sex offenders.

However, the high risk of recidivism in sex offenders calls for this drastic and serious measure, which is necessary for the protection of children and society from sex-related crimes,” said Pagdilao, a lawyer.

Pagdilao cited a statement by the Bureau of Immigration that foreign sex offenders shall not be allowed entry to Philippine territory in the wake of news reports about the deportation of a foreign national in Dumaguete City who had been a fugitive for 10 years in connection with a sexual assault.

“True enough, these sex offenders are threats to public safety, most especially to children who, by reason of their economic status, are prone to sexual exploitation and abuse.

Unfortunately, government’s efforts to totally ban their entry to the country are not enough to protect the general public,” said Pagdilao, a vice chair of the public order and safety committee.

Pagdilao seeks the establishment of a “National Sex Offender Registry System,” which shall contain the names and other pertinent details about sex offenders who live and travel in the country.

The information to be recorded in the database include the name, address, employment, fingerprints, DNA sample, complete criminal history and recent photograph, in addition to any other information that will be deemed necessary for the proper registration of sex offenders.