PH Senate should remain ‘safe space’ for women — Atty. Lorna Kapunan

House prosecution counsel Lorna Kapunan invoked the Senate’s passage of the Safe Spaces Act after Senator Raffy Tulfo criticized a member of the prosecution team during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Kapunan made the statement on Thursday after Tulfo accused a prosecutor of “trying to be cute” while questioning a police officer who appeared as a witness before the Senate.

“Let me just say that I think the Senate should be reminded that it was the Senate that passed the Safe Space Law,” Kapunan said at a press briefing.

While noting she believed Tulfo’s comment may have been an unintentional slip, Kapunan emphasized that the upper chamber must remain a respectful environment.

“So we are believing that could be a misstatement, but still believing that the Senate is a safe space for women like us, and for senior citizens like me,” she added.

Tulfo had earlier questioned the prosecution’s presentation of witnesses, advising prosecutors to find ways to keep the senator-judges engaged during the proceedings. He cited an instance where a witness was allegedly being made fun of because a prosecutor “was trying to be cute while talking to the police officer.”

Tulfo did not name the prosecutor involved.

Republic Act No. 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act, was signed into law in April 2019 to address gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, online platforms, workplaces, and educational institutions. In January 2025, the Senate unanimously approved on third reading a bill to further strengthen the law.

-Paraluman News