Protecting Women & Children

Others may be mouthing women and children advocacies but none has taken concrete steps—like what Ronnie Puno has been doing—to really protect Filipino women and children.

Besides setting up Women and Children Protection Desks (WCPDs) in every municipality nationwide on his watch, DILG Secretary Ronnie Puno is also supporting another women- and child-friendly program to further empower them in pursuing justice and fighting for their rights.

This initiative, dubbed the Barangay Human Rights Program, aims to increase the awareness of women of their basic rights and that of their children under the country’s judicial system.

According to media reports, Ronnie has called on local officials nationwide to support the training initiatives under the Barangay Human Rights Program, which also aims to enhance the proficiency of barangay officials particularly the member of the Lupon Tagapamayapa “in performing their mandated tasks and responsibilities towards good local governance.”

“[The training] is designed to provide necessary tools and practices in the administration of the Barangay Justice System to enable the poor, particularly women and children, to pursue justice through increased knowledge about basic rights and the judicial system,” Ronnie Puno said in his circular.

The DILG’s training arm, the Local Government Academy, and the various DILG regional offices will conduct the training with the central theme “The Barangay Human Rights Program: Accessing Justice through Gender-Responsive and Child-Friendly Barangay Justice System” in the country’s capital towns and cities.

Hence, besides the WCPDs, where distraught women and kids can turn to for assistance when they are abused and exploited, the DILG has a complementary program that will help prevent women and children from becoming victims—by educating them about their basic constitutional rights.

This training on human rights at the barangay level is being conducted to ensure the smooth implementation of the Department’s Local Government Human Rights Program, which is designed to ensure the accountability of local authorities in the protection and promotion of human rights in their respective localities.

The Local Government Human Rights Program is a flagship initiative of the DILG on Ronnie Puno’s watch.

Ronnie has ordered teams of DILG trainers to go to all capital towns and cities in every region to spearhead the training, which will be conducted in partnership with other stakeholders in the locality.

This program, along with the establishment of over 1,800 WCPDs nationwide, is concrete proof of Ronnie’s determination and resolve to empower our vulnerable sectors, particularly women and children.

As they say in the vernacular si Ronnie ay “punong-Puno” ng determinasyon para sa pagsusulong ng karapatan at kapakanan ng ating mga kabataan at kababaihan.”

Come to think of it, it appears that at this point, only Ronnie Puno among the 2010 wannnabes has been advancing the interests of women and children.