THE Forum for Family Planning and Development urged the Philippine government to act on rising cases of statutory rape, citing official data showing that over 11,000 incidents involving girls under 16 were reported in 2023, yet no case was filed under Republic Act 11648.
RA 11648, enacted in 2022, raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 to strengthen protections against rape and abuse.
However, The Forum, citing the government’s Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law report, noted that every pregnancy among girls 16 and under in 2023 involved at least one case of rape.
“The government must act now on increasing statutory rapes of children aged 9 to 16,” said Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, vice president of The Forum.
He criticized authorities for failing to flag these incidents, despite birth and health records being available.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also reported that 99.3% of pregnancies among nine-to-14-year-olds involved fathers aged 15 or older or whose age was unreported.
Despite RA 11648’s strict penalties, including life imprisonment for statutory rape, no clear guidelines have been issued on its enforcement.
Perez called on lawmakers to press the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to take action, urging stronger implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education and mental health support for victims.
“The enforcement of the statutory rape law is an essential first step,” he said.
