Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives ERIC G. YAP and EDVIC G. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Gender-based and child violence remains a pervasive and deeply rooted challenge in 
the Philippines, cutting across socio-economic divides and affecting millions of women 
and children. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2022 National 
Demographic and Health Survey, 17.5% of Filipino women aged 15–49 have 
experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from their intimate partners. 
Despite these alarming figures, many cases of domestic abuse and violence against 
women and children remain unreported, largely due to fear, stigma, and lack of 
accessible protective services. 
Despite legislative progress, such as Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against 
Women and Their Children Act of 2004, implementation remains uneven and protective 
infrastructure remains limited. The Department of Social Welfare and Development 
(DSWD) currently operates facilities like the Haven for Women, which offer temporary 
shelter and protective custody, but these facilities are still too few to provide sufficient 
coverage nationwide. 
By institutionalizing and expanding halfway houses across all provinces, highly 
urbanized, independent, and component cities, this bill responds directly to these 
needs. These facilities will offer safe, temporary shelter, and supportive services, from 
medical and psychosocial care to livelihood training and legal assistance, ensuring 
survivors receive immediate relief while empowering them toward reintegration and 
long-term recovery. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. ERIC G. YAP​
HON. EDVIC G. YAP
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September 3, 2025
9:40 am


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
1st Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representatives  ERIC G. YAP and EDVIC G. YAP 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING HALFWAY HOUSES FOR THE ABUSED WOMEN AND 
CHILDREN AND RAPE VICTIMS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Halfway Houses for 
the Abused Women and Children and Rape Victims Act” of the Philippines. 
SEC 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the declared policy of the State to recognize 
the role of women in nation-building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before 
the law of women and men. As such, the State shall foster an empowering environment 
and the most appropriate equipment and infrastructure that will enable women and 
children, especially those in difficult circumstances, to restore their normal social 
functioning and regain their self-worth through provision of protective and 
rehabilitative services. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — The following terms as used in this Act shall be 
referred to as the following: 
(a) Abused Women and Children refers to a woman who is the wife, former wife, or a
woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with
whom the person has a common child, and a child whether legitimate or
illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which the person has exhibited
physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including
threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary
deprivation of liberty;
(b) Child refers to a person under eighteen (18) years of age or a person 18 years or
over but is unable to fully take care or protect himself/herself from abuse,
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neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of physical or 
psycho-social disability or condition; 
(c)​Custody refers to an aspect of exercising parental authority over a child; 
(d)​Halfway Houses refers to a facility that provides temporary shelter and 
protective custody to abused women and children. The facility shall include, but 
not limited to, the following services: residential care, medical services, 
psychological 
testing, 
maternal 
and 
child 
care 
skills 
development, 
self-enhancement skills development, livelihood skills development, spiritual 
development or renewal, social communication skills development, legal 
services, case work, group work, community participation skills development, 
and others services such as education, transportation, and after care. 
(e)​Rape refers to any acts committed by a man who shall have sexual intercourse 
with a woman under any of the following circumstances, namely: (1) Through 
force, threat, or intimidation, (2) When the victim is deprived of reason or is 
unconscious, (3) Through fraudulent machination or grave abuse of authority; 
and (4) When the victim is under twelve (12) years of age or is demented, even if 
none of the above circumstances are present. It can also be committed  by any 
person who, under any of the above circumstances, commits an act of sexual 
assault by inserting his penis into another person’s mouth or anal orifice, or any 
instrument or object, into the genital or oral orifice of another person. 
​
SEC. 4. Creation of Halfway Houses for the Abused Women and Children, and 
Rape Victims. — The Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) shall procure, build, install, 
operate, manage, and/or maintain at least one (1) Halfway House for every province in 
the country which is geographically accessible to every municipality in the province. 
The respective local government unit (LGU) of any highly urbanized cities, 
independent cities, and component cities is hereby mandated to have at least one (1) 
Halfway House in their own city. 
Halfway Houses shall be used by the DSWD and the LGUs solely to 
accommodate abused women and children in pursuit of the victim’s immediate relief, 
reintegration, protection, support, and treatment, with a maximum of ninety (90) days 
of accommodation. 
​
SEC. 5. Custody or Legal Guardianship of the Abused Women and Children and 
Rape Victims. — Republic Act No. 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their 
Children Act of 2004 states that the woman victim of violence shall be entitled to the 
custody and support of her child/children, while children under seven (7) years old or 
those older but with mental or physical disabilities shall automatically be given to the 
mother, with right to support, unless there are compelling reasons that the court finds. 
Furthermore, a victim who is suffering from Battered Woman Syndrome, as defined 
under RA 9262 shall not be disqualified from having custody of her children and in no 


case shall the custody of minor children be given to the perpetrator of a woman who is 
suffering from Battered Woman Syndrome. 
Accordingly, after the ninety-day (90) period of stay in the facility or less and 
upon the concurrence of the abused women and children, their custody shall be 
entrusted to their most immediate family member, or in their absence, a qualified legal 
guardian to be determined by the Registered Social Worker of that particular Halfway 
House. Provided, that such custody shall be exercised in accordance to the Family Code 
and Republic Act No. 9262 or Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. 
SEC. 6. Composition and Qualifications of Halfway Houses Personnel. — Every 
Halfway House shall have at least two (2) personnel from the Department of Social 
Welfare (DSWD), one of whom is a Registered Social Worker who shall not have been 
found guilty by final judgment of moral turpitude by any competent court or tribunal. 
SEC. 7. Appropriations. — The funds necessary to carry out the initial 
implementation of this Act for the current year shall be charged against the respective 
budget of concerned agencies, particularly the Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) 
for Halfway Houses in the provinces and the respective local government units (LGUs) 
of the highly urbanized, independent, and component cities for the Halfway Houses in 
the cities, particularly the Gender and Development (GAD) Budget of the LGUs’ 
mandated agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act 
and the annual Local Government Unit (LGU) Budget respectively. 
SEC. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The Department of Social 
Welfare and Development, as head of the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against 
Women and Their Children (IAC-VAWC), shall coordinate with the Department of 
Interior and Local Government and other relevant agencies in promulgating the rules 
and regulations for the effective enforcement of the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 9. Separability Clause. — Should any part of this Act be declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions hereof that are not affected thereby 
shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, 
rules and regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 11. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper or general circulation. 
Approved,