DILG, PCW push stronger ‘Bawal Bastos Law’

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) are pushing to strengthen Republic Act 11313, better known as the Safe Spaces Act or the “Bawal Bastos Law,” to keep up with the times — especially the rise of digital sexual harassment.

Passed in 2019, the law widened protection against sexual harassment, covering not just acts committed by bosses or authority figures, but also by peers, colleagues and even strangers. It recognized that harassment can happen anywhere — in public spaces, on public transport, in workplaces and schools, and online.

But PCW says abuse is evolving. More cases now happen through digital platforms, and some groups — like student interns and trainees — are not clearly protected under the current wording of the law. That’s why the proposed amendments seek to explicitly address technology-facilitated gender-based violence and close those gaps.

The revisions have been included in the Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda for the 20th and 21st Congresses, underscoring the urgency of updating what was once considered a landmark measure.

PCW is also recommending that any official Bawal Bastos Awareness Month be observed in April instead of March, to align with the law’s enactment on 17 April 2019.

For the DILG, strengthening the Safe Spaces Act is part of a broader push for gender equality and inclusive governance — ensuring that protection against harassment remains real and enforceable, whether it happens on the street or behind a screen.