The Pampanga provincial government is set to launch on March 14 the country’s first ever province-wide child abuse prevention and intervention network (CAPIN).
This was learned from Charlo Costales, project coordinator for Pampanga of the Consuelo Foundation, an international organization which operates programs for the prevention of abuse and exploitation of children and women, amelioration of their conditions and enhancement of their social and economic potential.
With Governor Lilia G. Pineda at the helm, the province will assume the provision of full blast intervention and services on child abuse prevention throughout Pampanga upon the program launching.
Costales said that the event will feature four major programs launching: the province-wide CAPIN, the provincial welfare code for children, the release of protocol manual on handling of child abuse cases and the installation of women and children protection unit in every district hospital of the province.
Hotline 117 for reporting child abuse cases is also being worked out by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in time for the CAPIN program launching.
“Normally, CAPIN operates in a city or municipal-based area and this would be the first time that it will be implemented on a provide-wide scale,” Costales said as he acknowledged the governor’s utmost support and commitment to the said program for children’s protection.
Close to 3,000 officials and members of the city and municipal councils for the protection of children throughout Pampanga and Angeles City have been invited to witness the program launching.
The regional directors of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Education (DepEd), Health (DOH), and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) including officials and staff of the PNP, Regional Trial Court, Philippine Psychiatric Association, Philippine Medical Association and Mental Health Association are expected to attend the major event.
The program organizers are also expecting Consuelo Foundation (CF) Country Director Raydean Salvosa, CF International President John Matsuoka and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Director Vanessa Tobbin to attend.
Costales, who has been working for eight years now in various municipalities of the province, said that core leaders of the CAPIN program in the program recently met to discuss particulars of the forthcoming event, issues on case management system and other innovations of the program.
The group is chaired by Heidi Patio of Angeles City with Elizabeth Baybayan, provincial social welfare and development officer as vice-chair, and medical social workers, city and municipal social welfare and development officers and representatives from PNP, DILG and DepEd as members. (Erlinda T. Yutuc, Pampanga PIO)
