Senator Joel Villanueva has reached out to contestants of the "Bawal Judgmental" segment of the longest-running noontime show "Eat Bulaga" who were victims of domestic abuse.
Following his appearance in the wildly-popular segment over the weekend, Villanueva who was a guest judge took to social media his condemnation of the domestic abuse experienced by the contestants, who bravely recounted the horrors they experienced at the hands of their partners.
“Nakakadurog po ng puso ang mga kwentong narinig natin. Ayaw po nating mangyari ito sa iba pang mga ina at mga kababaihan. Makikipag-ugnayan po tayo kina Dith, Michelle, Rhyza, Chelle, Len, Heidi, at Jessan. Magpapadala po tayo ng abogado o anumang professional help kung kailangan!” Villanueva wrote.
The segment tackled the issue of domestic abuse featuring seven women who suffered physical, emotional, and psychological abuses from their respective partners, and some of them even from their partner’s families. Some of the women admitted allowing the abuse to happen for years—two of them explaining they did not want their children to grow in broken families.
As one of the contestants recalled how her mother-in-law fed her child with alcohol, a visibly-shaken Villanueva encouraged viewers to “disengage with their abusers right there and then,” supporting the advice given by clinical psychologist Dawn dela Cruz, who was on deck to help the show process the situations of the women.
“Yung violence against women, may batas po doon. Pwede po tayo humingi ng tulong sa ating barangay, sa ating kapulisan,” Villanueva said at the show. Pangalawa, may anak din po ako, at hindi po natin pinapadapuan ng lamok yan. Kung may lamok ay hindi tayo natutulog hangga’t hindi natin nadadale yung lamok dahil ayaw natin na makagat nun. Ayaw na ayaw natin makita ang kahit sino pa abusing our kids.”
Villanueva has sought for increased education and awareness on the various protection mechanisms the country's laws affords victims of domestic abuse, after hearing the plight of seven women suffering various kinds of maltreatment committed by their partners.
On social media, Villanueva said he supported the bill filed by Senator Nancy Binay which sought to expand the Violence Against Women and Children law to include forms of abuse in electronic forms. Another bill Villanueva pursued is a measure increasing the penalties on child labor violations.
The lawmaker praised the show’s handling of the sensitive topic, saying that his experience guesting at the segment reinforces “the value of television which serves as a conscience of society.”
“Sa pagpunta po natin sa EB’s #BawalJudgmental, lalo po nating nakita ang halaga ng media at telebisyon. Nagsisilbi itong konsensya ng bayan para itama ang mali sa ating lipunan, lalo na po ang mga pang-aabuso sa mga bata at kababaihan,” he wrote.
“Habang nasa #BawalJudgmental tayo, nakita rin po natin ang importansya ng trabaho lalo ang edukasyon. Kailangan po ang sapat na kaalaman sa pagpapamilya at ating mga karapatan para maprotektahan ang ating sarili at mahal sa buhay. Walang puwang ang mga abusado sa ating Bayan,” Villanueva continued.