VIDEO and photo voyeurs now face a stiffer fine and prison sentence after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2010 [Republic Act 9995].
The new law imposes a fine of up to P500,000 and imprisonment of up to seven years not only the voyeurs but also the distributors of the photo or video that was taken without consent.
The urgency of the law, which was first filed in Congress in 2007, was brought to fore with the proliferation of the controversial sex videos of cosmetic surgeon Hayden Kho and actress Katrina Halili last year.
The law prohibits taking photos or videos of sexual activities as well as private parts of a person without his or her consent.
Also banned are copying and reproducing, selling, distributing, publishing and broadcast of sex photos or videos in traditional media, the Internet, cellular phones, and other communication devices.
The new law defines “private area of an individual” as the naked or undergarment-clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast. The “female breast” was defined as any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola.
Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., who initiated an inquiry on the Kho-Halili sex videos last year, said the stiffer penalties should prove that the government is serious in curbing pornography.
“The rampant circulation of sex scandal videos and other forms of pornography is truly disturbing because our youth have easy access to these materials, worsened by the humiliation victims endure after the circulation of their images, particularly the women who were videotaped or photographed without their consent,” Revilla said.
Authorities have resorted to filing unjust vexation charges against voyeurs who have been caught because of the lack of a specific law punishing voyeurism.
