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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative ERIC G. YAP 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Gender-based violence remains persistent in the country. According to the 2017 National 
Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority one in 
four Filipino women aged 15-49 has experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence. 
Notwithstanding that most cases of gender-based violence such as domestic abuse and 
rape remain unreported due to imminent fear of the victims.  
In the province of Benguet alone, violence against women and children continues. The 
Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) reports that Benguet has the highest 
number of rape cases in 2023 in the Cordillera region—twenty-four (24) in just the first 
two (2) quarters of the year. Notably, while there is a decline in rape cases in the first 
quarters of 2023 in the region, it is troubling that women victims are relatively younger.  
Hence, while several government mechanisms are employed to address the issues of 
gender-based violence which includes physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, 
or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or 
arbitrary deprivation of liberty, there is a need to provide an establishment that will 
immediately accommodate and lend reintegration, protection, support, and treatment to 
the victims. Haven for Women of the Department of Social Welfare and Development is 
a similar facility which provides temporary shelter and protective custody to women ages 
18-59 years old who are victims of involuntary or forced prostitution, illegal recruitment,
battered or abused women, victims of sexual abuse, women in detention, women victims
of armed conflicts and others. It is in this regard that this bill seeks to institutionalize
similar facilities, which initially are building and administering halfway houses the
victims of domestic abuse and rape across the country.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is immediately sought. 
HON. ERIC G. YAP 
August 29, 2023
10:06 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
                          Introduced by Representative ERIC 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, especially those in difficult circumstances, to resolve their problems and 
restore their normal social functioning, and thus regain self-worth and dignity 
through the 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,
neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of physical or
pyscho-social disability or condition;
c. Custody refers to an aspect of exercising parental authority over a child;
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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 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 and rape victims in pursuit of the victim’s 
immediate relief, reintegration, protection, support, and treatment, with a maximum 
of ninety (90) days of accommodation.  
SEC. 4. Custody or Legal Guardianship of the Abused Women and Children. – 
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 shall not be disqualified from 
having custody of her children and in no case shall custody of minor children be given 
to the perpetrator of a woman who is suffering from Battered woman syndrome.  


 
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Accordingly, after the ninety-day (90) period of stay in the facility or less and 
upon the concurrence of the abused women and children or the rape victim, 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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. 8. 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. 9. 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. 10. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper or general circulation. 
 
Approved,