PROVINCIAL NEWS FEATURES

:: Province launches Bantay Pamilya Program

The Provincial Government has established a program that would help enhance and improve the promotion of the principle of peace and stability in every home. Through the leadership of Misamis Occidental Governor Loreto Leo Ocampos, the Bantay Pamilya Program was institutionalized.

Launched last March 2003 at the Capitol, the Program will therefore promote peace and sustainable development in the communities, and in turn would echo throughout the whole province. It is tucked under the Gender and Development Program (GAD) of the Ocampos administration.

This program was conceptualized after the series of trainings, workshops, and conferences on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC). A coordination of groups composed of the Provincial Women’s Health Coordinating Team; the representations from the Core Field Workers Team from the Women’s Health and Safe Motherhood Project of the five municipality-beneficiaries of Jimenez, Don Victoriano, Lopez Jaena, Plaridel, Sinacaban; and the Local Government Units’ Social Welfare Officers and PNP women have been working together to come up with a strategic mechanism to improve the delivery of integrated services to the women and children who are the most vulnerable group to be victims of any form of violence.

The Bantay Pamilya is a barangay-based organization of community volunteer workers, barangay officials, men and women alike, who have the commitment to respond directly to actual cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse and illegal drugs. They have promoted special relations among each other in order to make their homes and communities more safe, and peaceful and progressive.

The Program encourages every citizen to join in, and extend their hands and expertise in helping achieve the aims, and goals in safe-guarding the peace and sustainability of every home and community. Professionals and non-professionals, lay and church workers, men and women in uniform, farmers, peacekeepers and all other groups are welcome to participate in the program.

With the Program’s implementation, the Gender and Development Center, whose staff is tasked to spearhead the Program, will be conducting capability building, and community organizing for this purpose. The commitment of local officials and residents of each of the barangays are therefore needed because they necessarily need to work hand in hand with the Local Government Units and the Provincial Government for this program to gain its headway, and eventually its success.

(Source: www.misocc.gov.ph PIO, Capitol, Oroquieta City)