GMA opens women, children protection center today as PNP marks 17th year

The Philippine National Police (PNP) will celebrate its 17th  anniversary at its national headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City today.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno made a last-minute inspection of the newly-established Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) in the camp, which the President will formally inaugurate today as among the highlights of the celebration.

Upon her instructions, PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. organized the new police unit from the deactivated Women and Children Concerns Division of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, and the Women’s Crisis and Child Protection Center.

Razon has designated Chief Superintendent Yolanda Tanigue to head the WCPC. Tanigue is the first female police officer of the PNP to be promoted to star rank.

The WCPC will have an all-women personnel complement who will handle cases of violence committed against women and children, including trafficking, exploitation and abuse as defined under Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004.

According to Razon, the establishment of the WCPC is not only in accordance with the law, but manifests the responsiveness of the PNP to gender issues, and special concerns for women and children.

Unlike the typical police station, the WCPC is fashioned with child-friendly colors and cartoon character designs, and an atmosphere that provides comfort to distraught women and distraught children.

Initially, the WCPC national office at Camp Crame has been equipped with two police patrol cars that are custom-designed to have a child-friendly motif. Each all-women mobile crew is composed of a driver, a scene of the crime operations examiner, a social worker, and a medico-legal officer.

The WCPC mobile units are tasked to respond to sex-related crime and violence committed against women and children. Last year, the PNP recorded 7,669 cases of violence against women and 4,705 cases of child abuse and exploitation.

According to Tanigue, all women and children concerns desks in the regional, provincial and station levels will be placed under the WCPC, and similarly organized and equipped. The PNP currently has 10,000 female personnel nationwide and 15 percent of the annual recruitment quota for police personnel is reserved for women.  – Cecille Suerte Felipe