ILOILO CITY—For the first nine months of the year, the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) has recorded a 35-percent drop in the number of cases of violence against women and children (VAWC) in Western Visayas.
PRO-6 Spokesperson Lt. Col. Joem Malong said 824 VAWC cases were recorded from January to September 2020. In comparison to the same period of last year, there were 1,268 cases.
Capt. Mona Guia Menez of PRO-6’s Regional Women and Children Protection Desk (RWCPD) attributed the restrictions of the quarantine measures against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to have decreased the number of VAWC cases. In particular, the liquor ban made an impact.
Based on PRO-6’s data, Iloilo City registered the most number of VAWC cases for the first nine months of the year with 298.
It was followed by Iloilo province with 173, Capiz and Negros Occidental provinces with 85 cases each, Aklan province with 82 cases, Guimaras province with 53 cases, Antique with 27 cases, and Bacolod City with 21 cases.
Menez also noted how PRO-6’s RWCPD did not stop in its campaign to report VAWC violations to either the local police station or barangay officials.
“We are concerned that others may not be able to report that is why we continue advocating that help is just a call or text away,” Menez pointed out as there were localized help desks established in these areas.