Philippines set to raise age of consent from 12 to 16

Donna Valdez, 15, -- whose name has been changed to protect her identity -- carries her child at a health centre in Manila. - AFP

MANILA (AFP): Manila teenager Rose Alvarez was 13 when she started having sex with a man who was more than twice her age. That would be statutory rape in most countries, but not in the Philippines.

The Catholic-majority country has one of the lowest ages of consent in the world, allowing adults to legally have sex with children as young as 12.