House for abuse and trafficking victims to rise

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Women’s and Family Affairs Commission (CCWFAC) will be constructing a Women’s Center to house women and children rescued from violence and human trafficking in the city.

CCWFAC was able to secure a budget of P6.6 million under the 2012 Annual Budget for the project.

Initially, it will be a two-storey building with the appearance and resemblance of a house in order to be conducive to recovery and reform.

CCWFAC is still looking for a location bigger than the lot offered to them in Barangay Parian.

Camila Satina of CCWFAC said though that Councilor Lea Japson who heads the CCWFAC wants a bigger location for the planned Women’s Center.

“We are considering a location in Guadalupe but Councilor Japson and the rest in the commission has not decided yet,” Satina said.

The Women’s Center has been a dream of women’s commission for a long time now. The cost of the project is one of the reasons they have an increased budget this year.

CCWFAC has a total budget of P21.7 million this year which is P8 million greater than their previous year’s allocation.

Apart from the proposed Women’s Center, a bulk of their budget which is P1.2 million shall go to the rehabilitation of health centers in six barangays. Satina said that the City Health Department recommended that extensions be constructed in the health centers of barangays Basak San Nicolas, Cogon-Pardo, Labangon, Luz, Sudlon II and Tinago.

Satina said that the CHD finds it necessary for these health centers to have a waiting area because residents, mostly women and children, have to line outside under the heat of the sun while waiting to be entertained.

Another P1.7 million was appropriated for the purchase of medial equipment for the Women’s Center and for the violet room at the Cebu City Medical Center.

Meanwhile, various activities have been laid out for the celebration of Women’s Month.

This year’s Women’s Month theme is “Women weathering climate change; Governance and accountability, everybody’s responsibility.” In relation to climate change, the CCWFAC and all barangays will be organizing a tree-planting activity today in the mountain barangays of Cebu City.

There will be seminars, livelihood trainings, medical missions and many other activities until March 31. (FREEMAN)