Leyte: Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday expressed full support to the government's initiative to provide financial compensation to young victims of violent crimes, underscoring the crucial role of the state in helping them recover and rebuild their lives.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) establishing a referral system enabling child victims to access monetary remuneration for their basic needs and other recovery-related expenses.
'Our young ones deserve to be cared for, nurtured, and protected. When they become victims of cruel, violent crimes, it becomes the government's duty to ensure that they are properly supported on the way to healing and recovery,' Romualdez said in a statement.
'By making it easier for them to access financial compensation that can cover expenses for treatment, therapy, legal support, and education, we give young survivors a real chance at a fresh start - with the government standing firmly by their side.'
Under the MOA, the DSWD will be able to assist and refer child-victims from the agency's residential care facilities (RCFs) to the DOJ's Victim Compensation Program (VCP).
The VCP aims to provide a certain amount of monetary compensation to victims of violent crimes to recompense to a certain extent, the damage to the lives of those who suffered from lawlessness and grave injustice.
The DOJ Board of Claims, on the other hand, will evaluate and process the requests for claims by the DSWD, as well as endorse cases to the DSWD that fall outside the scope of Republic Act 7309 (An Act Creating a Board of Claims under the Department of Justice for Victims of Unjust Imprisonment or Detention and Victims of Violent Crimes and for other purposes).
The agreement covers child victims of rape, torture, enforced and involuntary disappearance, trafficking in persons, and online sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC), among others.
Romualdez, a shoo-in for the Speakership in the 20th Congress, vowed to champion in the House of Representatives initiatives to institutionalize the program and ensure allocation of adequate funding for the referral mechanism.
'Ang mga batang biktima ng mga marahas na krimen ay aming kinakatawan sa Kongreso. Nararapat lamang na mabigyan sila ng sapat na suporta para sa kanilang pagbangon at paghilom (Young victims of violent crimes are also our constituents in Congress. It is their right to be provided with ample support for their recovery and healing,' he said.
'By helping them jumpstart their recovery and reintegration into society, we are not only fulfilling our duty as public servants - we are also giving these children the chance to dream again and reach for a better future,' he added.
