SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. -524 
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Introduced by Senator LOREN LEGARDA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to expand the coverage of assistance and protection given to rape victims 
to include survivors of other gender-based violence and crimes against children, 
amending for the purpose certain sections of Republic Act No. 8505, also known as the 
"Rape Victim Assistance Protection Act of 1998." 
Violence against women and children JS one of the prevalent forms of human rights 
abuses in our society today. It encompasses, but is not limited to battering, sexual 
abuse, sexual harassment, trafficking in women, prostitution and exploitation. Women 
victims are often forced to endure the lifelong ill-effects of violence and abuse due to the 
lack of services to meet their peculiar needs. This problem is very prominent among 
victims or survivors of domestic violence who feel that the only solution is to leave their 
homes but restrained from doing so by the absence or lack of financial resources, child 
care support and shelter. Many actually think that they do not have much choice in the 
situation but to suffer in silence and solitude, resulting in serious physical and 
psychological consequences. 
These survivors need a strong network of assistance,a network which can intervene 
quickly and effectively. Shelter, employment, childcare support, medical and legal 
assistance and psychological counseling are some of the common and immediate needs 
of women and chiidren in these abusive and violent situations. 
Aside from -center-based programs and services, the communities, non-government 
organizations and government agencies with potential resources for responding to this 
issue need to cooperate and work efficiently "in order to provide lasting and effective 
assistance fo the women and children crisis survivors. This requires -adequate training 
on the part of the individuals who deal directly with them. 
RA. No. 8505 partly addresses this problem through the provision of assistance and 
protection to rape victims through the establishment of rape crisis centers. Through this 
bill, support seivic,,!s will be extended to other survivors of violence such a~ trafficked, 
prostituted, phYSically abused, exploited women and children. 
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In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is sought. 
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Senator 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B.No. 524 
Introduced by Senator LOREN LEGARDA 
AN ACT 
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EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF RAPE CRISIS CENTERS, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 8505 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Title - This Act shall be known as the "Women and Children Crisis 
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Survivors Assistance and Protection of 2013." 
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SECTION 2; Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
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to provide necessary assistance and protection for women and children survivors of 
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violence. Towards this end, the various. agencies of the government and the non-
7 . government· organizations shall coordinate with each other for the establishment and 
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operation of women's and children's crisis center in every province and city that shall 
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·assist and protect survivors of violence in the litigation of their cases and in their 
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recovery. 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purpose of this Act, the term "crisis 
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survivors" shall refer to women and children under the following circumstances: 
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a. Victims/survivors of physical, sexual, psychological abuse, including but not 
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limited to rape, battery and all forms·of violence against women and children; 
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b. Victims/survivors of trafficking; 
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c. Victims/survivors of prostitution; 
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d. Victims/ survivors of forced or exploitative labor; 
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e. Other similar circumstance as may determined by the Department of Social and 
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Welfare Development (DSWD) 
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SECTION 4. Section g of RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
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"Section 3. The following agencies, and organizations shall establish in every 
province and city a crisis center for women and children: 1) Departmfnt of Social 
Welfare a~d Development (DSWD) as lead department; 2) the Department of 
Health (DOH); 3) the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); 4) 
the Department of Justice (DOJ); 5) The Philippine National Police (PNP); 6) 
Technical Education and Skills Development AuthQrity (TESDA); 7) and a lead 
non-government- organization (NGO) 
or 
Peoples 
or 
community-based 
organization (PO/CO) with proven track record or experience in handling sexual 
cases and crisis intervention. This Crisis Center shall be located in a government 
hospital or health clinic or in any other suitable place for the purpose of: 
a. providing free legal assistance or service to crisis victims, when necessary; 
h. assisting crisis survivors in the investigation to hasten the arrest of offenders 
and the filing of cases in court; 
c. ensuring the privacy and safety of the crisis 'survivors, including, but not 
limited to, provision of temporary shelter; 
, 
d. providing psychological counseling and medical services whenever necessary 
from the family of the crisis survivors; 
e. developing and undertaking a training program for law enforcement officers, 
public prosecutors, lawyers, medico-legal officers, social workers and 
barangay officials on human rights and responsibilities, gender sensitivity 
and illegal management of cases of violence against women and children as 
covered by this Act; 
f. adopting and implementing programs for the recovery ofthe survivors; and 
g. Providing livelihood and related assistance to the survivors in order to help 
them become economically independent." . 
SECTION 5. Section 4 of RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 4. Duty of the Police Officer. Upon receipt by the police of the complaint 
on crimes covered by this act, it shall be the duty of the police officer to': 
xxxxxxxx 
For this purpose, a women's desk must 'be established in every police precinct 
throughout the country to provide a policewoman' to conduct investigation of 
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complaints of women crisis survivors. In the same manner, the preliminary 
investigation proper or inquest of women must be assigned to a female prosecutor or 
prosecutors after the police shall have endorsed all the pertinent papers thereof to the 
same office." 
SECTION 6. Section 5 of RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 5. Protective Measures. At any stage of the investigation, prosecution and trial 
of a complaint for crimes under this Act the police officer, the prosecutor, the court and 
its officers, as well as the parties to the complaint shall recognize the xight to privacy of 
the offended party and the accused. " 
SECTION 7. Section 7 ofRA 8505 is hereby amended to read asfollows: 
"Section 7. ApprQpriations. For the establishment and operation of crisis centers during 
the first year of implementation of this Act, the amount of One Hundred Twenty 
Million pesos (P120,DOO,OOO.OO) shall be charged against the Organizational Adjustment 
Fund, as follows: 
xxxxxxx. 
Thereafter the necessary amount for the crisis centers shall be included in the budgetary 
allocations for the agencies concerned in the annual General Appropriations Act." 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause - All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees 
rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with or contrary to the 
provisions of this Act shall hereby be amended or repealed accordingly. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause - If for any reason, arty provision of this Act, or 
any part thereof, is declared invalid or unconstitutional, all other sections or provisions 
not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect. 
SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause - This Act shall take effect fi~teen (15) days 
following its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved; 
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