BE HER VOICE: THE 18-DAY CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

LGU Manolo Fortich Joins the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women

The Local Government Unit of Manolo Fortich joined the launching of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW), a national advocacy led by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), observed from November 25 to December 12, 2025. Leading the campaign is the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), headed by MSWD Officer Maria Cecilia Sajonia.

Peace and Order is one of the priorities of Municipal Mayor Rogelio N. Quiño in his 8-Point Agenda, supporting and uplifting programs/initiatives that protect the weak and the voiceless. To reach all 22 barangays in the municipality, the MSWDO began its Information Education Campaign (IEC) on November 6, 2025.  The IEC focused on raising awareness and preventing all forms of VAW while highlighting key laws that protect women and children.

The laws include:

Republic Act 9262, also known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, protects them from physical, sexual, psychological, or economic abuse by intimate partners or other persons. Republic Act 8353, or the Anti-Rape Law of 1997.
 Republic Act 11313, also known as the Safe Spaces Act or Bawal Bastos Law, which penalizes gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, online, in workplaces, and in educational institutions.

The activity was participated in by Zone Officers, Barangay Volunteers, the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA), and the Sangguniang Kabataan, demonstrating strong community support for women’s rights and safety. 

The battle to end gender-based violence is a national effort rooted in barangay-level action—strengthening awareness, fortifying existing laws, and unifying collective efforts toward one goal: to end violence against women.