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FIFTEENT,H CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S.B.No. 1436 
Introduced py Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
I 0 JUl 13 P ,1 ::20 
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 is one of the pervasive 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 is 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 soli tude, 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 
children 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 to 
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 services will be extended to other survivors of violence such as trafficked, 
prostituted, physically abused, exploited women and children. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is sought. 
-=--= LOREN tEGAkDA 
:5 
Senator 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1436 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
I 0 
,llIL 13 
p 4 :20 
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: 
SECTION 1. Title - This Act shall be known as the "Women and Children Crisis 
Survivors Assistance and Protection of 2010." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
provide necessary assistance and protection for women and children survivors of violence. 
Towards this end, the various agencies of the government and the non-government 
organizations shall coordinate with each other for the establishment and operation of 
women's and children's crisis center in every province and city that shall assist and protect 
survivors of violence in the litigation of their cases and in their recovery. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purpose of this Act, the term "crisis survivors" 
shall refer to women and children under the following circumstances: 
• 
a. Victims/survivors of physical, sexual, psychological abuse, including but not limited to 
rape, battery and all forms of violence against women and children; 
b. Victims/ survivors of trafficking; 
c. Victims/ survivors of prostitution; 
d. Victims/survivors of forced or exploitative labor; 
e. Other similar circumstance as may determined by the Department of Social and Welfare 
Development (DSWD) 
SECTION 4. Section 3 or RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 3. The following agencies and organizations shall establish in every province and city 
a crisis center for women and children: 1) Department of Social Welfare and 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 (DO}); 5) The Philippine 
National Police (PNP); 6) Technical Education and Skills Development authority (TESDA); 7) 
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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; 
b. 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 fro 
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 sehsitivity and illegal management of cases of violence 
against women and children as covered by this act; 
f. adopting and implementing programs for the recovery of the 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 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 right to privacy of the 
offended party and the accused." 
SECTION 7. Section 7 of RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 7. Appropriations. 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,OOO,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 
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• 
• 
this Act shall hereby be amended or repealed accordingly. 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause - If for any reason, any 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 fifteen (15) days following 
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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