OFW Party List Representative Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino recently filed House Bill No. 9771 or the ‘Anti-Cyberbullying Against Children Act’.
The bill aims to address the escalating issue of cyber bullying, recognizing the psychological and emotional toll it inflicts on children who are much vulnerable to these attacks and to their destructive effects.
The party list legislator underscored the necessity of a comprehensive legislation to counter hate speech and protect children online from the detrimental effects of cyberbullying, which can lead to anxiety, fear, depression, low self-esteem, behavioral issues, and academic struggles.
“Bullying, in general, can have physical and psychological effects on our children. However, cyberbullying may be particularly damaging because unlike traditional bullying — which is often limited to schools and known bullies — cyberbullying can occur at any time and be perpetrated by anonymous sources. This makes it more relentless, and often more ruthless, as well as difficult to complain about, especially for children,” said Magsino.
Countering cyberbullying is an advocacy of Magsino as Ambassador of the Sunfull Foundation, a non-governmental organization founded in 2007 in South Korea that started the Sunfull Internet Peace Movement, which works to counter cyberbullying, hate speech and human rights violations on the internet.
Sunfull Foundation also appointed OFW Party List Secretary General, Ms. Princess Adriano, as Sunfull Ambassador for Social Media in recognition of her crucial role as one of the popular “influencers” to the Filipino youth.
“It is imperative for the government to intensify its commitment to online safety and to protect Filipino children against cyberbullying. The youth now belong to a digital generation; the world is literally at their fingertips. But this digital world has become difficult to navigate because of hate speech and cyberbullying,” Magsino said.
While existing legislation addresses aspects of bullying (Republic Act No. 10627, ‘Anti-Bullying Act of 2013’) and cybercrime (Republic Act No. 10175, ‘Anti-Cybercrime Act of 2012’), the proposed bill seeks to specifically target cyberbullying against children.
The bill outlines punishable acts, including spreading lies, sharing harmful content, slanderous statements, impersonation, and other acts causing damage to a child’s psychological well-being. Penalties for violations include imprisonment or fines, determined by the discretion of the court, with enforcement provisions mirroring the ‘Anti-Cybercrime Act of 2012’.
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