The Baguio City Council has created the Men Opposed To Violence Against Women Everywhere (MOVE) Organization.
Authored by Councilors Mylen Victoria Yaranon and Elmer Datuin, the ordinance aims mobilize the male employees of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) as well as male members of the community as an organization to help the city government institute policy advocacy and changes in the city’s existing Violence Against Women (VAW) programs.
Yaranon said the city government must foster women’s full potential, uplift their status, and improve their quality of life through the enactment of gender-responsive policies; and must commit itself to the eradication of all forms of VAW.
The MOVE Organization will be under the direct supervision of the CSWDO and will have the following functions:
Encourage their fellow men to commit themselves to be actively involved in the elimination of VAW as well as not to commit, condone, nor remain silent in the face of VAW; examine, propose, and formulate actions for the total male participation in the elimination of VAW;
Form partnerships and linkages with similar groups against VAW, both in the local and national communities; conduct researches on the social impact of VAW for policy and program coordination and development; establish resource network on VAW;
Foster stronger and more active fellowship and comradeship among its members;
and exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be assigned by the mayor or as may be prescribed by existing laws or ordinances.
The city mayor will appoint or assign a personnel in the MOVE organization who shall be primarily responsible in the overall management of the program and accomplishment of the ordinance’s objectives.
Under the ordinance, the following committees will likewise be created: Committee on Membership and Recruitment; Committee on Education, Training, and Capacity Building; and Committee on Information and Advocacy.
Each committee is responsible for recommending, coordinating, and implementing specific policies, activities, and strategies to enhance MOVE’s membership, training, and advocacy efforts in its campaign against violence against women.
The ordinance has been approved on third and final reading by the city council and transmitted to the City Mayor’s Office to be signed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong before its implementation. Baguio City – Sangguniang Panlungsod Release
