ILOILO City – “Help. He’s in the next room. He’s going to beat me.”
That call to the Iloilo Police Provincial Office’s (IPPO) Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), a section focused on stopping violence against women and children (VAWC), reflects the reality of many who are trapped in close quarters with their abusers this pandemic.
While the latest statistics showing a drop in VAWC in the province appeared encouraging, the problem should still be viewed as alarming, according to IPPO director Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero.
The goal, he said, is to totally eliminate VAWC.
For January this year, the provincial WCPD recorded 17 VAWC cases, lower by 65 compared to the 82 incidents reported during the same period in 2020.
The municipality of Oton had the most number of VAWC cases (four). Lambunao and Santa Barbara came in next with two followed by Barotac Viejo, Cabatuan, Dueñas, Estancia, Janiuay, Mina, Pavia, San Dionisio, and Tigbauan with one each.
Gorero attributed the decrease to the aggressive information drive of police stations.
“We hope this decline would continue until any form of abuse and exploitation of women and children is eliminated,” Gorero said.
He also cited their project “Bangon Babaye” that bolstered IPPO’s focus on the protection and empowerment of women, especially those who have gone thru difficult circumstances – the abused, neglected, and exploited.
Bangon in this, Gorero said, means resiliency, productivity, and development.
BANGON stands for:
* B-elieve in yourself
* A-im High
* N-ever give up
* G-ive your best
* O- verwhelm negativity in life
* N-ourish yourself
Launched in 2015, Bangon Babaye is in line with the adoption of the IPPO of the performance governance system (PGS) of the Philippine National Police’s Peace and Order Agenda for Transformation and Upholding of the Rule-Of-Law (PATROL).
Aside from advocacy awareness campaign, the project also collaborated with local government units (LGU) for the establishment of livelihood projects for women who were victims of abuse.
To date, the Babaye Bangon project facilitated the conduct of various livelihood training, like candle making, soap making, rug making, food processing and baking, with the end view of empowering Ilonggo women and making them more productive members of the community./PN
