LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved a resolution on February 12 that adopts and approves the establishment and operation of the Pangasinan Crisis Intervention Center (PCIC) as a halfway house for victims of gender-based violence.
As cited in the resolution authored by SP Member Rosary Gracia P. Perez-Tababa, the PCI will be managed by the province under the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), the social arm of the provincial government that advocates the rights, privileges, and protection of, as well as prevention of abuses against, victim-survivors and the disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors of society.
“The Pangasinan Crisis Intervention Center (PCIC) is a special unit operating on a 24-hour basis to serve as an action center to immediately respond to cases of abused women and children, providing integrated services such as immediate rescue and protection, financial assistance, referral for immediate medical, legal, and psychosocial services, information and education campaigns on women and child-related laws, as well as temporary shelter for abused women and children to ensure their safety, security, and rehabilitation to reinstate their psychosocial functioning,” the resolution stated.
PCIC, which is the first in the entire region, was accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Office and will serve as a “safe intermediary home for the less fortunate individuals and families, notably those who experience domestic violence.
As such, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has certified the PCIC as a “Local Learning Hub” for providing and sustaining gender-responsive programs and services to women and children in difficult circumstances.
Furthermore, the resolution stressed that the project “is a prompt action of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan to address the needs of women and children, in consonance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004; Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act; and Republic Act No. 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended by Republic Act No. 10364, also known as the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2021.”
Some provisions of the PCIC include short-term shelter for victim-survivors of abuse; the presence of 24-hour crisis hotlines; counseling services; the conduct of referral services or facilitation for medical or legal procedures; and the conduct of an information education campaign. (Ruby R. Bernardino/PIMRO)
