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Actor Niño Muhlach appears before the Senate inquiry in Pasay City on Aug. 7, 2024, on the policies of television networks and artist management agencies in relation to complaints of abuse and harassment. Sandro Muhlach, the son of Niño, has filed a complaint against two independent contractors of GMA Network for being allegedly sexually harassed during an event in July. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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Senate Hearing on Sexual Harrassment

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<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172542071685120240807-senate-probe-nino-muhlach-MD-7.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Actor Niño Muhlach appears before the Senate inquiry in Pasay City on Aug. 7, 2024, on the policies of television networks and artist management agencies in relation to complaints of abuse and harassment. Sandro Muhlach, the son of Niño, has filed a complaint against two independent contractors of GMA Network for being allegedly sexually harassed during an event in July. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span><em> </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) – Sen. Robin Padilla said Wednesday he eyed stiffer penalties for violations of the &quot;Bawal Bastos Act” following committee hearings on the case of actor Sandro Muhlach, who sued GMA Network independent contractors for rape with molestation.</p><p>Padilla, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media filed a bill seeking to amend the Safe Spaces Act. It cited the hearings which it said revealed that sexual harassment in the workplace remains &quot;active and rampant.&quot; </p><p>&quot;It was further observed that employers, particularly large corporations, could easily evade compliance with their obligations under the Safe Spaces Act given the grossly small amount of applicable fines,&quot; Padilla said in the explanatory note to his bill.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/27/sandro-muhlach-testifies-at-senate-hearing-on-alleged-rape-1651">READ: Sandro Muhlach testifies at Senate hearing on alleged rape</a></div><p>Under Padilla&#x27;s bill, failure by an employer to take proper measures to combat gender based sexual harassment, or failure to create an internal mechanism or a committee on decorum, will be fined P100,000 to P300,000, up from the current P5,000 to P10,000. </p><p>Failure by an employer to act upon sexual harassment complaints will be fined P300,000 to P500,000, up from the current P10,000 to P15,000.</p><p>It also introduces an automatic award of P300,000 in exemplary damages in the event of conviction.</p><p>Padilla&#x27;s bill will increase the prescriptive period for filing a complaint to 10 years from the current 5 years. </p><p>The respondents in the sexual abuse complaint filed by upcoming actor Sandro Muhlach have responded with &quot;absolute denial of all the allegations,&quot; according to their lawyer.</p><p>Meanwhile, Padilla announced that his panel will no longer hear testimonies about alleged sexual misconduct in media networks as it already has enough materials for legislation. </p><p>Padilla opened the committee hearing on Tuesday to a nearly empty panel before he discussed the bills they wrote following its hearings on the case of Sandro Muhlach.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/8/30/sandro-muhlach-files-cyber-libel-complaints-vs-online-bullies-1730">READ: Sandro Muhlach files cyber libel complaints vs online bullies</a></div><p>&quot;Sa amin pong paguusap sa amin pong pagkasunduan nagpasiya po kami na cancelin lahat ang mga panauhin na ito sapagkat sa amin pong pagpupulong ng aking tatawagin po nating battery of lawyers...sa amin pong pag uusap, wala na pong maitutulong ang pagiging sensationalized ng paksa na ito,&quot; Padilla said in remarks during the committee hearing. </p><p>(Based on our discussions, we have agreed to cancel the hearings after meeting with a battery of lawyers... we don&#x27;t see any more benefit from sensationalizing this issue.)  </p><p>&quot;Hindi na po natin sasayangin pa ang resources ng taumbayan na magdidiinig pa po tayo paulit ulit lang naman ang maririnig natin pero siyempre hindi po iniisang tabi ang mga reklamo na ito.&quot; </p><p>(We don&#x27;t have to waste public resources in hearing the same type of stories... but this doesn&#x27;t mean we are setting aside the complaints.) </p><p>The senator then discussed Senate Bill 2777 which seeks the death penalty for rape while making the anti-rape law applicable to all genders, including the LGBTQ community.</p><p>&quot;Eto po binabago natin ang panukalang batas na eto ay naglalayong magbigay ng mas mabigat na parusa kasama ang kamatayan laban sa sexual assault sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalakas ng kasalukuyang anti-rape law of 1997 layunin po nito na tiyaking di lang mas malakas ang ating  mga batas kungdi mas gender responsive dahil parehas pong lalake at babae ang biktima ng sexual assault. Kasama na po dito syempre po ang ating pong ginagalang na mga LGBTQ.&quot; </p><p>(We updated the bill by proposing heavier penalies including death against sexual assault thereby strengthening the anti-rape law. This will also be gender responsive as both men and women are vulnerable to sexual assault. This also includes members of the LGBTQ.)  </p><p>Padilla explained this aims to address the obsolescence of the law. </p><p>The senator also filed Senate Bill 2778 which would require talent managers to secure a license from the Department of Labor and Employment, while making media networks liable in case a talent manager it has contracted is convicted for rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment or violence.</p><p>Padilla however did not yet terminate the committee hearing to give lawyers and other parties a chance to make recommendations or suggestions for legislation on the matters discussed. - With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</p><p>RELATED VIDEO:</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-5hXeYiy0bI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Robin Padilla eyes stiffer penalties for violations of the "Bawal Bastos Act” following committee hearings on the case of actor Sandro Muhlach. </p>

Sen. Robin Padilla eyes stiffer penalties for violations of the "Bawal Bastos Act” following committee hearings on the case of actor Sandro Muhlach.

Padilla seeks stiffer penalties under Safe Spaces Act after Sandro Muhlach hearings

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Padilla seeks stiffer penalties under Safe Spaces Act after Sandro Muhlach hearings

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Published Sep 04, 2024 11:39 AM PHT

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Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:12 PM PHT

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