A proposed provincial ordinance, Hon. Phoebe Clarice L. Cabagnot filed with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Aklan requires all private and public schools in the province of Aklan to include in their Social Studies, Civic and Culture classes in elementary and secondary levels as provided for in R. A. 7610 and 9262 to ensure children’s and women’s awareness of their basic rights.
A public hearing on the proposed provincial ordinance was held on June 7. The public hearing was a lively interaction among the SP members on one hand and the participating stakeholders such as public and private school heads, PTA officers, government agencies representatives and NGO’s on the other.
R.A. 7610 provides strong deterrence and special protection against child abuse, exploitation and discrimination, providing penalties for its violation, and for other purposes.
Republic Act No. 9262 of 2004 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children provides protection for abused women and their children against their partners or former male partners or those with whom they had or are having a dating relationship.
"Child abuse has reached primetime television shows with the recent case of child abuse allegedly committed on the Willing Willie show prompting the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board to suspend the airing of the show", Cabagnot pointed out.
Integrating these subjects in the basic school curriculum will increase awareness of children and women of their basic rights, decrease and eventually eliminate the incidence of child abuse and violence against women cases in the province," Cabagnot stressed.
"Educators play a very significant role and this will further enhance their roles in preventing and mitigating child abuses and violence against women cases aside from enforcing Section 4 of the Implementing Rules and regulations of the Anti-Child Abuse Law (RA7610) that states "school personnel (including teachers, school nurses, counsellors, adminis-trators and child care personnel) are required to report suspected incident of abuse," Cabagnot added.
Stakeholders present recommended during the public hearing that the proposed ordinance: must prescribe the inclusion in the teaching modules not only relevant information provided for in RA 7610 and RA 9262 but other national laws and local ordinances (Children’s Code and GAD Code) designed for the protection of and advocacies on women’s and children’s right; a budget must be incorporated in the ordinance chargeable against Provincial fund such as the 5 percent GAD Fund or the Provincial School Board Fund; implementation strategy must also be integrated as an inter-agency scheme among DepEd, PSWD, and GAD Council.
SP members who led the public hearing are: Hon. Rodson F. Mayor, Hon. Victor Manuel M. Garcia, Hon. Phoebe Clarice L. Cabagnot, Hon. Daisy S. Briones, Hon. Jean O. Rodriguez, and Hon. Raymar A. Rebaldo. /MP
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