Senator Hontiveros seeks penalties for violence , online abuse against women in politics

Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a measure seeking to penalize violence against women in politics—including online harassment, gendered disinformation, and AI-facilitated abuse—amid heightened digital threats against female lawmakers.

Under Senate Bill No. 2567, or the proposed Anti-Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP) Act, legal safeguards would cover both online and offline abuse intended to silence, intimidate, or discredit women in public life. The bill addresses physical, psychological, economic, institutional, sexual, and technology-facilitated harm.

Hontiveros noted that digital platforms are increasingly weaponized through coordinated attacks, ranging from physical and sexual threats to deepfake images and targeted disinformation.

“Unlike traditional forms of harassment, online violence spreads exponentially, amplifies misogynistic narratives, and often remains permanently on the internet—extending and multiplying harm far beyond the moment it is committed,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

She warned that such hostility extends beyond individual victims, threatening democratic participation as a whole.

“Ensuring safe and inclusive political participation for women is not merely a matter of gender equality; it is essential to the health and legitimacy of our democracy,” she added. “When women are pushed out of political spaces through harassment and intimidation, democracy itself is diminished.”

Diplomatic tension

The bill's filing on Tuesday coincided with a public rift between Hontiveros and the Chinese Embassy in Manila, following her resolution calling on the government to declare Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata or demand his recall.

The resolution followed remarks by Jing responding to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who had labeled China a regional "troublemaker." The envoy claimed Beijing "may easily win" a conflict with the Philippines but chose peace instead.

In response to Hontiveros' call, the Chinese Embassy posted her resolution on Facebook with a warning: “Since you don’t welcome us, we don’t welcome you, either. Fair enough.”

In a subsequent post, the embassy named Hontiveros and nine other lawmakers—including Reps. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands), Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal), Dadah Ismula (Akbayan), and Cielo Krisel Lagman (Albay)—stating: “Put on record. You are now on the list.” -Paraluman News