Estancia, Iloilo – In an effort to prevent the proliferation of child abuse cases in bunkhouses where survivors of Typhoon Yolanda and the oil spill that occurred on November 8, 2013 are currently staying, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office VI, and the provincial local government conducted an on-site lecture for couples on how to protect their children.
The lecture was part of the Empowerment and Reaffirmation of Paternal Abilities Training (ERPAT) by the DSWD. ERPAT gives importance to the development and enrichment of knowledge, attitude, and skills of fathers in performing their paternal roles and responsibilities.
Josie Cambell, DSWD-Field Office VI training specialist, emphasized during her session with the parents how to be resilient in times of disasters. She added that resiliency should be demonstrated by being able to rise again and put a semblance of normalcy amid chaos. This can be done by participating in various early recovery efforts of the government like the Cash-for-Work of the DSWD.
“Dapat may ara kita preparatory measures. Indi lang kita maghulag kung arana (We should have preparatory measures. We should not only react when it is already there),” she said.
She explained that these preparatory measures should include prevention of abuses, especially on children, while staying in temporary shelters and evacuation centers.
She advised mothers to always keep an eye on their children, particularly the girls.
Cambell also reminded the mothers that they should sleep beside their daughters, especially that a bunkhouse has only one room for the whole family.
At present, there are 69 families or a total of 313 individuals living in the bunkhouses in Barangay Gogo. There are 157 males and 156 females.
Responsible fathers
Ronnie, 36, father of three, recognized the significance of the ERPAT saying, “Ang pagiging tatay hindi lang sa pangalan. Ang mga tataykatuwang sa panimalay kag sa pagpadako sa mga bata (Being a father is not just a term. Fathers are partners in running the households and bringing up the children).”
As the sole breadwinner of his family, Ronnie, a fisherman, admitted he sometimes forgets that he also has responsibilities as husband and father.
“Maayo kay may lecture nga pareho sini. Damo gid kami natun-an. Nadugangan ang amon nabal-an parte sa amon mga obligasyon bilang tatay (Good thing there is a lecture like this. We have learned a lot about our obligations as fathers),” he added.
Men talking to men
It helped that there are also male facilitators during the activity as the participants, mostly men who are noticeably uncomfortable talking about certain sensitive issues, found the urge to participate more with the male speaker able to relate to their experiences.
“Lain gid ila reaction kung lalaki ang nagahambal sa tunga. Mas maka-relatesila, ilabi na kung ang speaker naga-istorya base mismo sa ila eksperyensya,naga-tango gid sila dayun (They have a different reaction when a man is speaking in front of them. They can relate better, especially if the speaker tells them his own experiences, they would nod in affirmation),” said Eduardo Guevarra, Social Welfare Officer III and Focal Person on Women, Family and Community of DSWD-Field Office VI.
Fathers were made to differentiate “sex” from “gender”, identify the roles of both men and women, and taught how to be more gender sensitive.
In his lecture, DSWD-Field Office VI Accountant Hector Roldan Provendido emphasized to the participants that they should treat their wives well because staying at home taking care of the children and looking after the family’s needs is not an easy task.
If the husband has to pay his wife for every work that she does at home, Provendido said, the husband’s monthly earnings would not be even enough to pay her day’s work.
“Medyo nahinalian man sila nga amo gali na ka dako ang bayran nila sa ila asawa kung kwentahon ang tanan nga ginaobra nila sa sulod sang balay. Peronaintindihan nila nga ang obra sang asawa indi mahapos (They were quite surprised that they have to pay that big if they will pay their wives for every work they do. But they understood that it’s not easy being a housewife),” he explained.
Guevarra said domestic violence happens because many men, who are often tagged as the perpetrators, still believe that they are superior than women.
With ERPAT, Guevarra hopes that men will become more informed about the effects of violence on women and become instrument to end this problem. ###
