Yaranon reintroduces hotlines for VAW, VAWC, Gender-Based violence cases
BAGUIO CITY – (April 22, 2021) – Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria Yaranon has proposed an ordinance institutionalizing the use of the hotlines of the Baguio City Police Office-Women and Children’s Protection Desk (BCPO-WCPD).
Indicated in the proposed ordinance are the hotline numbers 661-1483, 0930-006-7779, and 0930-1893-595 which shall be used for cases on Violence against Women (VAW), Violence against Women and their Children (VAWC), and gender-based violence (GBV).
According to Police Corporal Ferly Ann A-ul, an officer from the BCPO-WCPD, the public may also report any VAW/VAWC/GBV incident to the Tactical Operations Center of the BCPO which will coordinate with the BCPO-WCD. The hotlines of the Tactical Operations Center are 442-1211, 0998-598-7739, and 0317-5758-993.
Wynona Tugade, BCPO-WCPD Statistician, revealed that 34 cases have been referred to their office from January to March of this year. Of the number, 19 are VAWC-related cases.
Aside from institutionalizing the said hotline numbers, the proposed ordinance shall also introduce the definitions of “gender-based violence” (GBV) and “Violence against Women (VAW).”
According to the proposed ordinance, gender based violence (GBV) refers to violence targeted towards a particular person because of their gender that causes or is likely to cause another’s mental, emotional or psychological distress, and fear or personal safety, and sexual harassment acts including unwanted sexual remarks and comments.
Violence against women (VAW), on the other hand, refers to a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is not his wife, former wife, against a woman with whom the person has no sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has no common child (legitimate or illegitimate), which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or, psychological harm/suffering.
The proposed ordinance is a proposed amendment to Ordinance Numbered 120, Series of 2018.
Ordinance 120-2018 requires all the 128 barangays in the city to establish a VAWC desk.
The said ordinance defines Violence against Women and their Children (VAWC) as an act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or has a sexual dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats such as acts, battery, assault, coercion, harrassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.
Once enacted, the new ordinance shall categorically encompass all cases of VAWC, VAW, and GBV.
The ordinance was approved on first reading and was referred to the Committee on Social Services, Women, and Urban Poor for study and recommendations. -Jordan G. Habbiling
