FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article XV, Section 1 provides that: 
The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the 
nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote 
its total development. 
Family violence does not necessarily cease when family victims are legally separated or 
otherwise not sharing a household. In fact, it even escalates following separation and the child 
custody and visitation arrangements become the new forum for the continuation of ahuse or 
violence. 
Some perpetrators of violence use the children as pawns to control the abused party and 
to commit more violence during separation. Fathers who batter mothers are twice as likely to 
seek sole custody of their children. In these circumstances, if the abusive father loses custody, he 
is more likely to continue the threats to the mother through other legal actions. 
This bill aims to protect children from the trauma of witnessing or experiencing violence 
or abuse during parent-child visitation and visitation exchanges by providing safe havens for 
parents and children, during visitation and visitation exchanges shall promote continuity and 
stability. * 
* This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE KEPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO PROVDE GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS 
FOR SUPERVISED VISITATION CENTERS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assem bled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Safe Havens for Children Act 
of 2007.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall protect the rights and promote the 
welfare of children in keeping with the mandatc: of the Constitution and the precepts of the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. -For the purposes of this Act the term: 
(A) “Secretary” means the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development; 
(B) “Family violence” means any act or threatened act of violence, including any forceful 
detention of an individual, which - 
(1) Results or threatens to result in physical injury; and 
(2) Is committed such person is or was related by blood or marriage or otherwise 
legally related or with whom such person is or was lawfully residing. 
(C) “Shelter” means the provision of temporary refuge and related assistance in 
compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing the provision, on a regular basis, of 
shelter, safe homes, meals, and related assistance to the dependents of the victims of family 
violence. 
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(D) “Related Assistance” means direct assistance to victims of family violence and then 
defendants for the purpose of preventing further violence, helping such victims to gain access to 
civil and criminal courts and other community services, facilitating the efforts of such victims to 
make decisions concerning their lives in the interest of safety, and assisting such victims in 
healing from the effects o€ the violence, with such :assistance to include prevention services, peer 
counseling, and children’s counseling and support services. Related assistance shall include - 
(1) Prevention services such as outreach and prevention services for victims and 
their children, employment training, parenting and other education services 
for victims and their children, preventive health services within domestic 
violence programs (including nutrition, disease prevention, exercise of 
substance abuse), domestic violence prevention programs for school age 
children, family violence public awareness campaigns, and violence 
prevention counseling services to abusers; 
(2) Counseling with respect to family violence, counseling or other supportive 
services by peers individually or in groups, and referral to community social 
services; 
(3) Transportation technical assistance with respect to obtaining financial 
assistance under government programs, and referrals for appropriate health 
care services (including alcohol and drug abuse treatment), but shall not 
include reimbursement for any health care services; 
(4) Legal advocacy to provide victims with in€ormation and assistance through 
the civil and criminal courts, and legal assistance; or 
(5) Children’s counseling and support services, and child care services for 
children who are victims of family violence or the dependents of such victims. 
SECTION 4. Grants to Local Governmeizt Units to Provide for Supervised Visitation 
Centers. - 
(A) In General. - The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development 
is authorized to award grants to local government units to enable local government 
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units to establish and operate supervised visitation centers for the purposes of 
facilitating supervised visitation and visitation exchange. 
Considerations. - In awarding such grants, under paragraph (A), the Secretary shall 
take into account - 
(B) 
(1) The number of families to be served by the proposed visitation center to be 
established under the grant; 
(2) The extent to which the proposed supervised visitation centers served 
underserved populations; and 
(3) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates cooperation and collaboration 
with advocates in the local community served. 
(C) Use of Funds. - 
(1) In General. - Amounts provided under a grant awarded under this Section 
shall be used to establish supervised visitation centers and for the purposes 
described in Section 3. 
(2) Applicant Requirements. - The Secretary shall award grants, under this Act in 
accordance with such regulations as the Secretary may promulgate. The 
Secretary shall give priority in awarding grants under this Act to local 
government units that consider domestic violence in making a custody 
decision. 
SECTION 5. Reporting and Evaluation. - 
(A) Not later than sixty (60) days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report that includes information concerning - 
(1) The number of individuals served and the number of individuals turned away 
from services categorized by local government units and the type of 
presenting problems that underlie the need for supervised visitation or 
visitation exchange, such as domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, 
emotional or other physical abuse, or a combination of such factors; 
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(2) The numbers of supervised visitations or visitation exchanges ordered during 
custody determinations under a separation or divorce decree or protection 
order, through child protection services, or through other social services 
agencies; 
(3) The process by which children or abused partners are protected during 
visitations, temporary custody transfers and other activities for which the 
supervised visitation centers are created; 
(4) Safety and security problems occumng during the reporting period during 
supervised visitations or at visitation centers including the number of parental 
abduction cases; 
(5) The number of parental abduction cases in a judicial district using supervised 
visitation services, both as identified in criminal prosecution and custody 
violations; and 
(6) Any other appropriate information designated in regulations promulgated by 
the Secretary. 
(B) Evaluation. - In addition to submitting the reports required under paragraph (I), a 
local government unit receiving a grant under this Act shall have a collateral agreement with the 
court, the child protection social services division of the government, and local domestic 
violence agencies or national and local domestic violence coalitions to evaluate the supervised 
visitation center operated under the grant. The entities conducting such evaluations shall submit a 
narrative evaluation of the center to both the center and the grantee. 
SECTION 6. Appropriation. - To carry out the provisions of this act, such sum as may be 
necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. Thereafter, the 
sum necessary for the continuous operation of the programs shall be include in the annual 
appropriation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. 
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SECTION 7. Sepavubility Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the reminder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 8. Repeualing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent 
with, the provisions ofthis Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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