DILG, PCW push to update Bawal Bastos Law

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) are advocating updates to Republic Act No. 11313, also known as the Safe Spaces Act or Bawal Bastos Law, to address evolving forms of gender-based harassment, particularly in digital spaces.

PCW noted that many incidents of harassment now occur through online platforms, prompting the need for clearer and more comprehensive legal provisions. The proposed amendments would explicitly cover technology-facilitated gender-based violence and expand protections to groups not clearly included under the current law, such as student interns and trainees.

RA 11313, enacted in 2019, extended safeguards against sexual harassment beyond persons in authority to include peers, colleagues, and strangers. It recognized that harassment can occur in public spaces, transportation, workplaces, schools, and online platforms.

The PCW confirmed that the proposed amendments are part of the Women’s Priority Legislative Agenda for the 20th and 21st Congresses, reflecting urgency to update the law to respond to present-day threats faced by women and girls. The commission also suggested shifting any observance of Bawal Bastos Awareness Month to April, in line with the law’s enactment date on April 17, 2019.

Officials said updating the Safe Spaces Act is intended to ensure protection against sexual harassment remains effective, enforceable, and accessible across both physical and digital environments.