MAGKAKAROON ng karagdagang ngipin ang “Bawal Bastos” (Safe Spaces Act) of 2019, kung magiging batas ang panukalang ihinain ni Sen. Robinhood “Robin” Padilla nitong Miyerkules.
Bukod sa mas malaking multa, isinusulong ng Senate Bill 2810 ang mas mahabang prescriptive period para sa pag-file ng complaint na 10 taon, mula sa kasalukuyang limang taon.
“(T)he recent public hearings of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media revealed that sexual harassment in the workplace remains active and rampant. It was further observed that employers, particularly large corporations, could easily evade compliance with their obligations under the Safe Spaces Act given the grossly small amount of applicable fines,” ani Padilla sa kanyang panukalang batas.
Sa kanyang panukala, nais ni Padilla na amyendahan ang Safe Spaces Act of 2019 at bigyan ng mas mabigat na parusa, kasama ang:
* Multa na P100,000 hanggang P300,000 sa employer na hindi nagkaroon ng sapat na hakbang laban sa gender-based sexual harassment, o gumawa ng internal mechanism o committee on decorum (mula sa kasalukuyang P5,000 hanggang P10,000 fine); at
* Multang P300,000 hanggang P500,000 sa pagkabigo ng employer na umakto sa sexual harassment complaints, mula sa kasalukuyang P10,000 hanggang P15,000.
Iminungkahi rin ni Padilla ang automatic award ng exemplary damages n P300,000 kung ma-convict ang kinauukulan.
“Finally, recognizing the stigma and social exclusion that go together with coping with the trauma caused by sexual harassment, this measure likewise seeks to increase the prescriptive period for filing a compliant from five years to ten years,” aniya.
