Manila Rep. Manny Lopez (Photo courtesy of congress.gov.ph) MANILA - A lawmaker at the House of Representatives on Wednesday said the new law raising the minimum age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 could help drastically reduce abuses against minors and provide stronger protection for them. Manila Rep. Manny Lopez, one of the principal authors of Republic Act 11648, said the legislation would provide stronger protection against rape and sexual exploitation and abuse, especially in poorer communities, citing his district of Tondo, which ranks "among the top in terms of recorded crimes of these nature" due to its very dense population, as well as poor and unsafe living conditions for most of its residents. "Especially in our poorer communities like Tondo Manila, it is imperative that the government extend the scope of protection for our poor children where they are more susceptible to all forms of sexual abuse. I hope the passage of this new law is a good first step,"