MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILABY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 53
STRENGTHENING THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SPECIAL PROTECTION OF CHILDREN, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 275 (s. 1995)
WHEREAS, the protection of Filipino children remains to be a national concern in view of the growing complexity of child protection issues in the country and the continued increase in the number of cases of child neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and discrimination;
WHEREAS, Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7610, otherwise known as the “Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act”, remains as the principal and comprehensive law for the protection of children against abuse and exploitation;
WHEREAS, other child-related protection laws have been enacted criminalizing acts committed against children and providing added protection, such as R.A. No. 9231 (An Act Providing for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor), R.A. No. 9208 (The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003), R.A. No. 9262 (Violence Against Women and Their Children Act), R.A. No. 9344 (The Juvenile Justice and Welfare...
Details
Amends
n/a
Amended by
n/a
Executive Orders
Strengthening The Committee For The Special Protection Of Children, Amending For This Purpose Executive Order No. 275 (s. 1995)
Executive Order No. 53
Summary of Executive Order No. 53
Strengthening the Committee for the Special Protection of Children
- Role of the Committee for the Special Protection of Children (CSPC) (Section 1):
• Responsible for coordinating and monitoring the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violations of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) and other child-related criminal laws.
• Responsible for formulating and monitoring the comprehensive program as stipulated in Article II, Section 4 of R.A. No. 7610.
- Coverage (Section 2):
• Physically abused children, including victims of cruelty and corporal punishment (Section 2a).
• Sexually abused children, including child victims of related offenses under the Revised Penal Code (R.A. 3815), such as rape and other sexual assaults (Section 2b).
• Children in prostitution, including those in obscene exhibitions and indecent shows (Section 2c).
• Children trafficked within the contemplation of Article IV of R.A. No. 7610 and R.A. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) (Section 2d).
• Child labor, including the worst forms of child labor (Section 2e).
• Children of indigenous peoples (Section 2f).
• Muslim children (Section 2g).
• Children in situations of armed conflict and those involved in armed conflict (Section 2h).
• Abandoned children, as defined under R.A. No. 9523 (Section 2i).
• Neglected children (Section 2j).
• Other children who have experienced abuse, exploitation and discrimination under R.A. No. 7610 (Section 2k).
• Such other categories of children as may require the Committee's assistance (Section 2l).
• Preferential attention to violent crimes committed against children, cases with great impact on national interest, and those referred to the Committee for immediate action (Section 2).
- Composition of the Committee (Section 3):
• Chaired by the Secretary of Justice and co-chaired by the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (Section 3).
• Members include representatives from various government agencies and three representatives from non-government or private organizations working and/or advocating for the protection of children (Section 3).
• Non-government or private organization representatives are nominated by any member of the Committee and appointed by the Chairperson for a term of three years, which may be renewed (Section 3).
• The Secretariat of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) shall act as the Secretariat of the Committee (Section 3).
- Functions and Duties of the Committee (Section 4):
• Establish a system of collecting periodic reports from member agencies on cases filed before them, including the status of such cases (Section 4a).
• Request member agencies and other government instrumentalities to address specific issues brought to the Committee's attention that require immediate action (Section 4b).
• Coordinate with other inter-agency councils and other similar structures and mechanisms for synchronization and harmonization of actions on the legal protection of children (Section 4c).
• Develop and/or recommend policies and guidelines to address gaps and issues identified in the investigation and prosecution of cases, as well as in the legal protection of children (Section 4d).
• Formulate a uniform protocol for capacity-building of duty bearers and other stakeholders, with emphasis on a multi-disciplinary approach (Section 4e).
• Call upon non-member agencies for assistance when necessary in the exercise of its functions and duties (Section 4f).
• Submit to the Office of the President an annual report of its accomplishments (Section 4g).
• Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary to meet the objectives of this Order (Section 4h).
- Repeal of inconsistent orders, circulars, memoranda, rules, regulations, and other issuances (Section 5).
- Separability clause (Section 6).
- Effectivity upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation (Section 7).
Strengthening the Committee for the Special Protection of Children
- Role of the Committee for the Special Protection of Children (CSPC) (Section 1):
• Responsible for coordinating and monitoring the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violations of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) and other child-related criminal laws.
• Responsible for formulating and monitoring the comprehensive program as stipulated in Article II, Section 4 of R.A. No. 7610.
- Coverage (Section 2):
• Physically abused children, including victims of cruelty and corporal punishment (Section 2a).
• Sexually abused children, including child victims of related offenses under the Revised Penal Code (R.A. 3815), such as rape and other sexual assaults (Section 2b).
• Children in prostitution, including those in obscene exhibitions and indecent shows (Section 2c).
• Children trafficked within the contemplation of Article IV of R.A. No. 7610 and R.A. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) (Section 2d).
• Child labor, including the worst forms of child labor (Section 2e).
• Children of indigenous peoples (Section 2f).
• Muslim children (Section 2g).
• Children in situations of armed conflict and those involved in armed conflict (Section 2h).
• Abandoned children, as defined under R.A. No. 9523 (Section 2i).
• Neglected children (Section 2j).
• Other children who have experienced abuse, exploitation and discrimination under R.A. No. 7610 (Section 2k).
• Such other categories of children as may require the Committee's assistance (Section 2l).
• Preferential attention to violent crimes committed against children, cases with great impact on national interest, and those referred to the Committee for immediate action (Section 2).
- Composition of the Committee (Section 3):
• Chaired by the Secretary of Justice and co-chaired by the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (Section 3).
• Members include representatives from various government agencies and three representatives from non-government or private organizations working and/or advocating for the protection of children (Section 3).
• Non-government or private organization representatives are nominated by any member of the Committee and appointed by the Chairperson for a term of three years, which may be renewed (Section 3).
• The Secretariat of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) shall act as the Secretariat of the Committee (Section 3).
- Functions and Duties of the Committee (Section 4):
• Establish a system of collecting periodic reports from member agencies on cases filed before them, including the status of such cases (Section 4a).
• Request member agencies and other government instrumentalities to address specific issues brought to the Committee's attention that require immediate action (Section 4b).
• Coordinate with other inter-agency councils and other similar structures and mechanisms for synchronization and harmonization of actions on the legal protection of children (Section 4c).
• Develop and/or recommend policies and guidelines to address gaps and issues identified in the investigation and prosecution of cases, as well as in the legal protection of children (Section 4d).
• Formulate a uniform protocol for capacity-building of duty bearers and other stakeholders, with emphasis on a multi-disciplinary approach (Section 4e).
• Call upon non-member agencies for assistance when necessary in the exercise of its functions and duties (Section 4f).
• Submit to the Office of the President an annual report of its accomplishments (Section 4g).
• Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary to meet the objectives of this Order (Section 4h).
- Repeal of inconsistent orders, circulars, memoranda, rules, regulations, and other issuances (Section 5).
- Separability clause (Section 6).
- Effectivity upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation (Section 7).