FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to expand the coverage of assistance and protection 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 and harassment, trafficking in women, prostitution and exploitation. Women 
victims are often forced to endure ill-effects violence 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 the need 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 solitude, resulting in serious physical and psychological consequences. 
These survivors need a network of assistance which can intervene quickly and 
effectively. Shelter, employment, childcare support, medical and legal assistance and 
psychological counseling are the common immediate needs of women and children. 
Aside from center-based programs and services, the communities, non-government 
organizations and government agencies with potential resources for responding to his 
issue need to work cooperatively and efficiently in order to provide effective assistance 
to the women and children crisis survivors. This requires adequate training on the part 
of the individuals who deal directly with them. 
R.A. 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. 
7 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGGRESS OF THE 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
FIRSTE REGULAR SESSION 
) 
S E N A T E  
1 
S.B.No. . 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF RAPE CRISIS CENTERS, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT 8505 
Be if 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 2007". 
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 government shall coordinate its various 
agencies and the non-government organization 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 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 circumstance: 
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 exploitive labor; 
e. Other similar circumstance as may determined by the Department of social 
and welfare Development (DWD) 
SECTION 4. Section 3 or RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 3. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the 
Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Interior and Local 
Government (DILG), the Department of Justice (DOJ) The Philippine National 
Police (PNP), TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 
AUTHORITY (TESDA) and a lead non-government organization (NGO), 
PEOPLES OR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION 
with proven track 
record or experience in [handling sexual cases] CRISIS INTERVENTION, shall 
establish in every 'province and city a crisis center for women and children 


located in a government hospital o health clinic or in any other suitable place 
for the purpose of; 
a. 
b. 
C. 
d. 
e. 
f. 
g. * 
h. 
xxxxxxx; 
securing free legal assistance or service, when necessary [for rape 
Victims]; 
assisting [rape victims] CRISIS SURVIVORS in the investigation to hasten 
the arrest of offenders and the filing of cases in court; 
ensuring the privacy and safety of [rape victims] CRISIS SURVIVORS 
including the temporary shelter; 
providing psychological counseling and medical services whenever 
necessary for the family of [rape victims] SURVIVORS; 
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 [rape] CASES OF VIOLENCE 
AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN AS COVERED BY THIS ACT; 
adopting and implementing programs for the recovery of [rape victims] 
the SURVIVORS; and 
PROVIDING LIVLIHOOD AND RELATED ASSISTANCE TO THE 
SURVIVORS TOWARDS HELPING THEM BECOME ECONOMICALLY 
INDEPENDENT. 
XXXXXXX." 
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 [for rape] ON CRIMES COVERERD BY THIS ACT, it shall be the duty 
of the police officer to: 
xxxxxx. 
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 [rape victims] SURVIVORS. In the same 
manner, the preliminary investigation proper or inquest of women [rape victims] 
must be assigned to 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 [rape] 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. XXXXXXXX." 
SECTION 7. Section 7 of RA 8505 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 7. Appropriations. For the establishment and operation of [rape] 
crisis centers during the first year of implementation of this Act, the amount of 
One Hundred twenty million pesos (P120,000,000.00) shall be charged against the 


Organizational Adjustment Fund, as follows: XXXXXXX. Thereafter the 
necessary amount for the [rape] 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 acsordingly. 
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,: