Capitol Opens P14-M Facility for Abused Women, Children

A dream come true and a monument of love.

This was how Gov. Hilario P. Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale described the newly completed P14-million center built by the Provincial Government as shelter for abused women and children.

Called the Cebu Provincial Women and Children Development Center, the facility was inaugurated on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in Sudlon, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

Present during the blessing ceremony were Provincial Board Member Yolanda Daan; Jobel Angan-Davide, wife of the governor; Provincial Social Welfare Office chief Marivic Garces, Department of Social Welfare and Development Office (DSWD) 7 Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre; and members of the Provincial Council for Women and Children.

“This center is a monument of love. It is a manifestation of our recognition of human dignity, and we dedicate the facility to the countless women and children who are victims of abuse and exploitation,” Davide said.

Built on a sprawling 1,000-square meter lot, the center has dormitories which can accommodate up to 40 people. It has rooms for legal, medical and psychological services. It also has a chapel, an activity hall and a livelihood training center.

“It’s a dream come true. The center is our way of showing our love, commitment and resolve to help abused women and children pick up the pieces of their lives, as I believe that they should have an equal place in society,” Magpale said.

The vice governor, the co-chairperson of the Provincial Women’s Commission, is known to champion the cause of women and children.

Aside from the center in Lahug, the province also runs a similar facility in Consolacion town called My Home, intended for children in conflict with the law (CICL).

Magpale disclosed that another CICL facility will be constructed in the City of Naga and will be funded by the Province and the DSWD 7.

The province will also build a holding center in every district for CICLs whose sentence is suspended by the court due to being a minor.

Representatives from municipal social welfare offices, department heads, as well as non-government organizations for women, also graced the event.

cebu.gov.ph