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By Johanna M. Sampan, Reporter
PLAN—an international, humanitarian,
child-centered development organization without religious, political
or governmental affiliation or leanings started operating in Pilar
Island, a part of the Camotes Group of Islands in Cebu City in 2000.
Besides promoting the welfare of children, Plan
Philippines together with the local government of Pilar and Lihok
Pilipina, Inc. (LPI)—a Cebu based NGO recently took the task of
educating the island’s residents on the issue of domestic
violence. The project was coined Bantay Banay (literally means
“family watch”).
Besides educating communities on the issue of
domestic violence, Bantay Banay as a watch group actually responds
to actual cases of abuse. To help victims, the group provides
medical and medico-legal assistance, counseling, legal advice,
temporary shelter and livelihood referral.
The volunteer workers of the organization are
composed of professionals sympathetic to victims of beatings, rape,
incest and other forms of violence. They are trained to provide
intervention to the cycle of abuse through family dialogues and
mediation on the barangay level.
“We would like to shatter the misconception
that “family quarrel is a private matter,” Dr. Eugenia Maratas,
M.D., vice chairman of Bantay Banay relates, adding, “We want the
family members especially the wives to be truthful and open about
it, to notify us if there’s really a case of violence within the
family.”
Bantay Banay is currently working on safeguard
measures to ensure the continuity of the project in case of change
of leadership in the barangays.
Dolita Dales, chairman of Bantay Banay,
envisions that through the project, the sanctity of the family would
be safeguarded. She’s also keen on empowering the women of Pilar
too. “For women, we hope to help them more in building their
confidence by allowing them in greater participation in decision
making within the households and community,” she concludes. For
details, visit www.plan-international.org.
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