By Ben Rosario

Notwithstanding the Duterte administration’s relentless anti-drug abuse campaign, police statistics in the commission of sexual abuse remains high with at least one woman or child being raped every 72 minutes in the country.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas lamented that at least 20 cases of rape are reported daily to the police, saying that the statistics on crime against women and children remain unchanged from previous years.

Brosas cited the Philippine National Police crime statistics during the first five months of 2018. Figures disclosed that 2,962 rape cases were reported from January to May in 2018.

She noted that the real figure might be higher since victims do not normally report to the police.

“Despite the Duterte regime’s unrelenting campaign against drugs and criminals, rape statistics in the Philippines remains troubling, with one Filipina raped every 72 minutes, and thousands more sexually harassed especially in public places,” Brosas said.

She added: “Duterte’s macho-fascist remarks and consistent use of rape jokes, to the point of even exhorting soldiers to commit the crime, do not make this situation any better.”

According to Brosas men in uniform are among the culprits in the high incidence of sexual assault in the country.

At least 56 policemen have been tagged in rape and sexual abuses of women and children since Duterte came into power, the PNP statistics indicated.

Gabriela Women’s Partylist said it will intensify its push for its bill strengthening the Anti-Rape Law to address special situations wherein the victim is unable to give consent due to her mental or physical state, or when perpetrator uses machinations to force the sexual act.

The women’s partylist will also mark March 8 with a stronger call for the Anti-sexual Harassment Law Amendments’ passage, which has already hurdled the bicameral conference panel and is already awaiting the President’s signature.

The measure will cover gender-based violence in public places, online sexual harassment, and peer-to-peer offenses in the workplace and academic institutions.