Insights on the Presentation of the VAWC Law Itself

Our presentation of the VAWC Law, being the bulk of our Barangay project turned out better than we expected. Translating the law into Filipino and terms understandable by the laywoman was not the hard part. We were afraid that the women would find it boring, but we found them very responsive and appreciative of our presentation.

The presentation consisted on a discussion of the following: who the victims are, who the perpetrators are, the kinds and examples of abuses, what protection orders are and how to apply for them, and the penalties for violating a protection order and the VAWC Law itself.

Most audiences let the speaker finish her piece before they ask questions, but in our audience’s case, every time we’d say two or three sentences, or almost after every slide of the presentation, several women would raise their hands to ask something or share a situation related to the law. We were not at all annoyed at the interruptions. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised how interested they were.

The insights consisted of situations that happened to a relative or a close friend. A situation that stood out the most was one lady’s (Miss Rel) experience with getting a Barangay Protection Order. Miss Rel worked for a Woman’s Help Desk so she was familiar with the Protection Order process. She was able to help a friend apply for one, but before the Barangay could actually issue a BPO, the victim withdrew her application and retracted her statement because of certain promises her husband gave her. The audience agreed that this situation was not confined to Miss Rel. This situation – of knowing someone who is being abused – happens to a lot of them and they’re only qualm about it is that they don’t want to be part in someone else’s business no matter how much they want to help. Statements like “away po yan ng mag-asawa, ayaw naming yang pakialaman” and “ayoko naman pong makisawsaw sa problema ng iba” were abundant.

We responded to the audience that they no longer need to worry about getting in the way of their woman-friend or relative’s life. Violence against women is a crime against the State and therefore the complainant need not be the victim herself. The VAWC law provides that the applicant for a Barangay Protection Order may be a relative of a stranger who has personal knowledge of the abuse. We were glad to see the law at work here. We were relieved to find out that people were not apathetic about other people’s problems. Women want to help their fellow women – they just do not know how, or are afraid that the law prohibits it. Armed with this knowledge, we are confident to say that Miss Rel and the rest of our women audience would be able to help a woman out there, even if that woman refuses such help.

As part of our presentation, we also invited a woman from the for Saklolo at Gabay Ng Ina at Pamilya sa Muntinlupa (or SAGIP) who spoke about her personal experiences with victims of abuse and her workings with the law. She told us of the problems she came across with in dealing with fiscals or judges or Barangay personnel in attaining protection orders – especially the part where the public officer is a “kumpadre” of the perpetrator. This was easily answered by asking the said public officer to inhibit himself.

While the SAGIP lady’s speech was very enlightening – she showed statistics of all forms of abuse and told the women audience how the organization can help women victims acquire a protection order or a safe place to stay, she mostly downplayed the VAWC Law, which we completely disagreed with. She claimed that the law was only for the privileged and said that “hindi naman natutulungan ng batas ang mga taong tulad natin”. This was a terrible generalization because the VAWC is a good law. It is a powerful law if effectively implemented and it does not distinguish, disqualify, or discriminate whom to give justice or what is due her. There was a need to quote Professor Guanzon when she said, “The Anti-VAWC Act is the most punitive domestic violence law in Asia”. When the group first read the law, we were amazed how the legislators were able to cover most loopholes that will make a perpetrator get away with his crimes. It was a law made by women for the benefit of women, and we were a little disappointed how easily the SAGIP lady dismissed the VAWC Law.

The problem is neither with the law nor the access to it. Abuse transcends all economic and educational borders and so does the law. It does not discriminate. From our reading, the VAWC gives the impression that it will do anything without legal bounds to help the victim and punish the perpetrator. We believe that the problem is with misinformation or even lack of information on the VAWC Act and how to help. We reiterated to our audience how great the law is and how it would be a waste if we didn’t take advantage of it. We are proud to say that our presentation on the VAWC Law covered up this void. The law is there, all women need is the courage to apply it and to follow through the process till the end.

We were lucky enough to have such a group of women who working (physical therapists) and knew of their basic rights at least as women as seen in the Focus Group Discussion. The VAWC Law was just an add-on to them, which strengthened their convictions and gave them that extra push they needed to help their fellow women. There was never a dull moment. We believe that the group that mostly benefited from the presentation was the Barangay and municipal hall personnel who claimed that they knew only a laywoman’s knowledge of the law. We recall how interested they were when we proposed the project and were honest enough to say that they were not very familiar with the VAWC Law’s provisions.

If there’s one thing the VAWC lacks, it is the dissemination of information about it. We were glad that the at least one, if not all, of our women audience would be able to share to others the how the law works and how it can help someone who dares not speak. If VAWC has an archenemy, it is silence. We reminded that despite the law and all its penalties to the perpetrators, nothing would happen if women stay silent. The first step really is to speak – not just of one’s experience of abuse, but also that of another’s. All the rest will fall into place.