(Eagle News)—President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed a bill banning corporal punishment on children.
In vetoing the consolidated Senate Bill No. 1477 and House Bill No. 8239, Duterte said he did not share the “overly sweeping condemnation” of such a practice.
He said he was “of the firm conviction that responsible parents can and have administered corporal punishment in a self-restrained manner, such that the children remember it not as an act of hate or abuse, but a loving act of discipline that desires only to uphold their welfare.”
He said “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.”
According to Duterte, instead of adopting Western trends, the country should opt for a more balanced and nuanced approach, which is both protective of the child but also cognizant of the right of parents who believe in the benefits of properly administered corporal punishment.
“The cultural trends of other countries are not necessarily healthy for our own nation,” he said.
“Indeed, in many instances such trends are of doubtful benefit even for the very countries which originated and popularized them. To uncritically follow the lead of these countries, especially in matters as significant as the family, would be a great disservice to the succeeding generations,” he added.
In proposing the Senate version, Senator Risa Hontiveros had said it “promotes positive and nonviolent discipline of children at home, in schools, in workplaces, and alternative care systems..”
She said this was done by “encouraging behavior change in adults which shall be complemented with the necessary structural support such as social programs that will provide necessary support for the child, parents, and other child caregivers.”
