House panel approves bill sending deadbeat fathers to jail

The House welfare of children panel on Monday approved a measure providing jail time, among other penalties, to fathers who fail to provide support for their children.

The bill, titled An Act Ensuring Child Support and Penalizing Parental Refusal or  Neglect Thereof, is authored by Representatives Paul Daza of Northern Samar; Erwin Tulfo, Edvic Yap, and Jocelyn Tulfo of ACT-CIS party-list; Eric Yap of Benguet; and Ralph Wendel Tulfo of Quezon City, among others.

Under the bill, any person who willfully and unjustly fails to pay child support despite having a gainful employment, business, or enterprise, property, or any means or source of income may face a jail time of six months to two years and four months.

In the event that the offender is a public officer or employee, the penalty will increase to a maximum jail time of six years.

“This bill will help solo parents, numbering around 15 million of our population, in supporting their children. Hindi na po kailangan lumuhod at magmakaawa ng mga ina sa mga ex nila at ama ng mga bata para sa sustento,” Tulfo said before the committee.

(These solo parents would not need to kneel before their exes and the father of their children just for child support.)

“What is really unfortunate, some of these irresponsible fathers are holding government positions while most are working in the private sector. Enough is enough. This has to end right now, and that is why we need to pass this bill into law,” he added.

Yap, meanwhile, said the bill will greatly complement the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act (Republic Act 9262).

“The Anti-VAWC law already penalizes economic abuse, which includes the withdrawal of child support.  However, enforcing paternal child support comprehensively and establishing paternity – a prerequisite for a child support order – remains a challenge [as it is],”  Yap said.

During the same hearing, the Justice Department said in its position paper that the proposed bill pushing deadbeat fathers does not prevent the mother of the children from filing a similar case covered by the Anti-VAWC law.

Tulfo, during his tenure as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, has pushed for a cooperation with the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) in going after deadbeat fathers.—AOL, GMA Integrated News