DIWA Partylist Rep. Michael Edgar Aglipay filed a measure that aims to protect and promote the welfare of children.

In pushing House Bill 857 or the proposed Positive and Non-violent Discipline of Children Act, Aglipay said that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training but human beings and individuals with their own rights.

The lawmaker cited the National Baseline Study on Violence against Children in 2015 which revealed that about 64.2 percent of the respondents experienced physical violence during childhood and 57 percent of these cases happened in their homes.

“Violent discipline is the most frequent form of violence against both boys and girls in the home, driven by factors including social norms around the use of and the effectiveness of discipline, authoritarian parenting, and a parent’s level of education,” Aglipay said.

House bill 857 prohibits corporal punishment of children such as physical maltreatment or psychological harm or suffering.

Violators will be reprimanded by the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children for their first offense. For the second offense, they will be fined P1,000 to P2,000 or required to render community service for 36 hours.

Third offenders will be fined P2,000 up to P3,000 and a community service of 42 hours.