Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla assured Congress and the public that full justice will be served to female police officers who fall victim to sexual harassment, promising swift prosecution of offenders within and outside government ranks.
During the department’s budget deliberations, Remulla emphasized that the agency’s “Safer Cities” initiative is being executed with strict adherence to due process, fair enforcement, and complete respect for individual rights.
“We take it very seriously, there is harassment among the ranks and we will be filing appropriate charges whatever it may be,” Remulla said in response to reports of sexual harassment targeting female personnel in the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The Interior chief highlighted recent legal actions to demonstrate the administration’s firm stance against gender-based abuse.
“In fact a member of Congress has been charged for violence against women, among his security personnel, the charges have been filed by the DoJ. We do not allow that, I particularly very sensitive about this. if there is any complaint against harassment of women personnel in the PNP I take it very seriously and prosecute it to the best of my ability,” Remulla added.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice filed four counts of sexual assault and one count of acts of lasciviousness against Marikina 1st District Representative Marcy Teodoro, stemming from complaints filed by two female police officers previously assigned as his security detail.
The budget discussion also touched on public messaging standards. Gabriela Women’s Party-list Representative Sarah Elago called on the DILG and the PNP to ensure all public advisories are gender-sensitive and to stop circulating materials deemed insensitive. Elago noted that her office continues to receive reports regarding inappropriate rape prevention posts attributed to local police units.
Addressing Elago’s concerns, Remulla confirmed that the flagged online posts have been corrected.
The Secretary further reported positive developments in crime statistics, noting that rape cases nationwide dropped by at least 60 percent from April to August this year.