CHALLENGING pedophile priests in court is possible today in the Philippines. Much has changed in the Philippine judiciary in the past 20 years. Prosecutors and judges in the family courts are armed with 37 laws that mandate that they protect children and bring their abusers to swift and strict justice. Many prosecutors and judges are doing just that in Luzon and other parts of the country.

Church influence over government prosecutors and judges has greatly diminished since the previous President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to expose the alleged wrongdoings of bishops and priests, saying he was sexually abused himself by a priest. The Philippine judiciary is more independent and many women prosecutors and judges, and men too, in the family courts are strong and independent-minded and will never bend to Church pressure.