Robin Padilla cancels invitation to sexual harassment victims in showbiz

The Senate committee on public information and mass media cancelled its invitation to other sexual harassment victims from media networks who wanted to come forward and share their stories to avoid the "sensationalism" of the hearing, panel chairperson Robin Padilla said on Wednesday.

"Ngayong araw, nakatakda pong magkaroon pa tayo ng panauhin na magbibigay ng kanilang mga karanasan at mga reklamo sa mga indibidwal at taong nagtatrabaho sa mga network. Sa aming pag-uusap, sa aming kasunduan, nagpasiya kami na kanselin lahat ang panauhin na ito," Padilla said in his opening speech at the continuation of the inquiry.

(Today, we have scheduled guests who will share their experiences and complaints about individuals and people working in networks. In our discussion, we decided to cancel all of these guests.)

"Sa aming pagpupulong ng aking tatawagin nating battery of lawyers... wala nang maitutulong ang pagiging sensationalized ng paksa na ito. Kung hahayaan nating magsalita pa ang nagreklamo at ang mga inirereklamo mag-aaksaya tayo ng pera ng taumbayan," he added.

(During our meeting with what I call a battery of lawyers... there's no point in further sensationalizing this issue. If we let the complainant and the accused continue to speak, we'll just be wasting the people's money.)

While he made the remark, Padilla said the Senate is open to help these victims.

Apart from this, Padilla also noted that there are sexual harassment cases which happened a long time ago.

"Ang hirap ipangako sa kanila na meron pa po tayong magagawa. Marami tayong panukalang batas na dapat isulong sa pangyayaring ito para po sa katulad na 'yan na mga cold cases... ngayon bubuksan, ngayon irereklamo ang isang tao. Ang irereklamo ay meron nang pamilya. Napakabigat po ng usapin na ito. Nagiging sensationalized siya kaya nag-desisyon kami na ito na lang," he said.

(It's difficult to promise them that we can still do something about it. We have many proposed laws that we need to push through in response to these incidents, including those cold cases... which are sought to be reopened. Someone will be accused and that person might already have a family. That's why this issue is extremely heavy. It's becoming sensationalized, which is why we decided to just focus on the proposed laws.)

The Senate committee has launched an inquiry into the policies of television networks and artist management agencies in relation to complaints of abuse and harassment, which centered on the case of Sparkle artist Sandro Muhlach.

The series of hearing led to Padilla's filing of the following bills:

• Senate Bill 2777, which pushes heavier penalties, including death, against sexual assault, by strengthening the Anti-Rape Law of 1997. The bill also aims to make the law stronger and more gender-responsive.
   
• Senate Bill 2778, which seeks to professionalize the talent management industry by requiring a license for talent management outfits and holding media outlets liable for damages if the talent manager with whom it has a contract, whether regular or not, is convicted of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and violence.
   
• Senate Bill 2810, which strengthens the Safe Spaces Act of 2019 with higher penalties against violators, and includes an automatic award of exemplary damages in the event of conviction.—RF, GMA Integrated News