THE Philippine National Police (PNP) welcomed on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the newly-signed law that raises the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 years old.PNP Chief Dionardo Carlos said the signing of the law is a major development in the campaign against abuses to the vulnerable sectors of the society.“With this, our Women and Children Protection desks can initiate their own information dissemination regarding the importance of protecting our children from any form of harm and abuses,” Carlos said in a statement.“We want to encourage our parents to start educating their children on how to protect themselves from criminal elements. The PNP vows to continue its programs that will educate and that will encourage the minors,” he added.President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11648 on March 4, 2022.The law provides a stronger protection against rape and sexual exploitation and abuse, and increases the age for determining the commission of statutory rape.It mandates that any person engaging in sexual contact with anyone 16 years old and below would be committing statutory rape, unless the age difference between them is three years or less, and sexual activity was proven to be consensual, and neither abusive nor exploitative.A 2015 study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) revealed that seven out of 10 rape victims in the Philippines were children. (SunStar Philippines)