“Hindi ko alam kung may nilalabag akong batas. Kung meron man, ewan ko kung masasakop ng batas ang puso ko (I don’t know if I’m violating the law. If I am, I don’t know if my heart is under the law),” PEP.ph quoted 60-year-old music icon Freddie Aguilar as saying about his controversial relationship with his 16-year-old girlfriend.

Unfortunately, it seems that his questionable romance may have a number of legal implications.

According to Atty. Sandra Coronel of the Yorac, Chua, Arroyo, Caedo & Coronel Law Office, Ka Freddie could be accused of violating the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act (R.A. 7610) because of his girlfriend’s admission that she spent 12 days with him in his home when she went to Manila to meet up with him. If found guilty, Freddie will be slapped with an eight to ten-year prison stay and a minimum fine of P40,000. The fact that the girl willingly agreed to go with Freddie cannot be a valid reason for the charge’s dismissal, says Atty. Coronel.

The girl’s parents are not exempted, either. While Atty. Coronel said that they can sue Freddie for Criminal Seduction and Acts of Lasciviousness if their daughter agreed to be intimate because he had promised to marry her, they could also be charged with Child Abuse, as well as of violating the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, because they might be “causing or encouraging the child to lead an immoral or dissolute life.” The punishment for this, PEP.ph reports, is 10 to 12-year imprisonment and a minimum fine of P50,000.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) could also charge Freddie with Child Abuse if he had gotten intimate with his girlfriend. “If there is sexual relations between them, regardless of her having granted consent, it will be Child Abuse punished by R.A. 7610 because minors, below 18 years of age, cannot legally give consent to sexual relations,” said Atty. Coronel, who added that such a charge can be filed even without the cooperation of the victim or her family.

The Philippine Star reports that the DSWD Protective Services Bureau will be visiting the girl’s parents to see if they really approve of her relationship with the veteran singer.

“The girl is considered a minor under the law. That means she is vulnerable to abuse, and not yet capable to discern,” said bureau director Dulfie Shalim.

(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)