Stalking, a celebrity\u2019s nightmare, might soon become a crime in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a bill penalizing stalking, a common problem confronting famous people or celebrities.<\/p>\n
In Senate Bill No. 1778, or the \u201cAnti-Stalker Act,\u201d the senator defines stalking has an act of \u201charassing, bothering, frightening and otherwise interfering with the private lives of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stalking, she said, is \u201ca form of disguised intimidation, which may be a subtle attempt at harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Celebrities here and abroad have had to deal with fanatic followers, who border on being stalkers. This reality apparently goes with fame, but SB 1778 seeks to provide boundaries to protect victims, who may not necessarily be popular.<\/p>\n
\u201cExisting civil and criminal remedies are insufficient to prevent the commission of the act,\u201d Santiago argued in her bill\u2019s explanatory note.<\/p>\n
SB 1778 defines stalking as a form of harassment that is \u201cdirected at a particular person, seriously alarms, disturbs, or terrorizes the person.\u201d It \u201cserves no legitimate purpose\u201d and causes \u201ca reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Credible threat<\/strong><\/p>\n Stalking also involves a \u201cseries of acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose.\u201d It includes a \u201ccredible threat\u201d intended to \u201ccause the person who is the target to reasonably fear (for) his or her safety.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe threat must be against the life of, or a threat to cause bodily injury to, a person,\u201d according to the bill.<\/p>\n In particular, stalking is characterized by \u201crepeated unsolicited phone calls without the purpose of legitimate communication,\u201d and \u201crepeated communications (done) anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours or in offensively course language.\u201d<\/p>\n Santiago\u2019s bill also classifies as stalking \u201crepeated visits to the victim\u2019s home or workplace\u201d and \u201crepeatedly maintaining visual or physical proximity to the victim in or about a public place.\u201d<\/p>\n SB 1778 penalizes stalking with a jail term of up to six years or a fine worth between P1,000 and P5,000.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the offender subsequently commits the same crime or is a family or household member of the victim, the next higher penalty shall be imposed,\u201d according to the measure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Stalking, a celebrity\u2019s nightmare, might soon become a crime in the Philippines. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a bill penalizing stalking, a common problem confronting famous people or celebrities. In Senate Bill No. 1778, or the \u201cAnti-Stalker Act,\u201d the senator defines stalking has an act of \u201charassing, bothering, frightening and otherwise interfering with the private […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,37],"tags":[29407],"byline":[185],"source":[206078],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n