Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 28) — President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed the bill banning corporal punishment for children.

In his message dated February 23, Duterte said he worries that the bill would ban all forms of corporal punishment, when he views some forms of it as acceptable.

"I am of the firm conviction that responsible parents can and have administered corporal punishment in a self-restrained manner, such that the children remember if not as an act of hate or abuse, but a loving act of discipline that desires only to uphold their welfare," Duterte said.

He added that the country should resist the "growing trend" in Western countries that looks down on corporal punishment, saying that the "cultural trends of other countries are not necessarily healthy for our own nation."

The President said he favors a "more balanced and nuanced approach," which would both protect the child and recognize the rights of parents who believe in corporal punishment.

He added the measure would allow the government to cross the privacy, sanctity and autonomy of families.

With the veto, corporal punishment will remain allowed, countrary to the recommendations of the UN Commission on Human Rights to prohibit corporal punishment in all settings.

A two-thirds vote in each of the two chambers of Congress can override Duterte's veto and would enact the bill into a law.

However, the bill's principal author, Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, doubts that Congress would be able to override Duterte's veto as it is currently on break and would only return to work after the elections.

Nonetheless, Herrera-Dy said she will ask for a meeting with Duterte to learn straight from him why he rejected the measure and will ask him to reconsider his position.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' Balitaan, Herrera-Dy said she would meet with positive discipline advocates so that they can think of how to resolve "gray areas" in the proposed law.

But Herrera-Dy admitted that they would have to rack their brains on how to further define the forms of punishment which would be banned, especially since that they believe that they could not classify corporal punishment by its severity.

"We cannot say naman konting palo is allowed. Hindi mo mame-measure. Basta ang mahalaga kasi dito marami rin namang ibang paraan [para pangaralan ang mga bata.] We don't want to expose children to a culture of violence," she said.

[Translation: We cannot say that light spanking is allowed. You can't measure that. What's important here is for people to realize that there are many other ways to discipline children. We don't want to expose children to a culture of violence.]

She said after her meeting with advocates against corporal punishment, they would seek an audience with Duterte in a bid to change his mind.

"I understand that it could be political suicide for a member of Congress to push for a veto at this time," she said in a statement yesterday. "This is why I will try to make both an emotional and a well-reasoned appeal to ask President Duterte to reconsider."

If her bid fails, she said she will refile the bill in the next Congress if her party-list is re-elected.

The House passed in November 2018 House Bill No. 8239 or the the Positive and Nonviolent Discipline of Children Bill which seeks to protect children from physical, humiliating or degrading acts as a form of punishment. The Senate passed its version in October.

The bill sought to shield children from corporal punishment in homes, schools, institutions, alternative care systems, the juvenile welfare system, places of religious worship and in all other settings where there is direct contact with children.

There are no additional penalties imposed for harming children, instead the bill mandated that the barangay (village) chairman refers the offender and the offended party to mediation and reconciliation or recommend temporary restraining orders.

Barangay chairmen would recommend repeat offenders to undergo seminars on positive discipline, anger management and children's rights, counselling or therapy, or other rehabilitative services.

The UN International Children's Emergency Fund earlier hailed Congress' move to ban corporal punishment, calling it a "great step forward."

This story has been updated to include statements from Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel and CNN Philippines Multi-platform Writer Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.