PRO-7 set to pilot test PWD-friendly program

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Regional Office-7 and the Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme Philippines have signed a memorandum of agreement to pilot test a program for the benefit of  Persons with Disabilities, particularly the deaf.

The MOA created the Information and Police Access for the Deaf (IPAD) program that aims to improve the investigation, monitoring and documentation of cases involving deaf victims. The IPAD will be under the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children’s Desk and will be piloted at Cebu City Police Station 6 in Barangay Pasil, Cebu City.

“WCPD of  the PS6 will be the first to be trained how to handle deaf victims as it is the center station in the entire Cebu City,” said PRO-7 public information officer Supt. Renato Dugan.

Police officers will be trained by the GVSP on basic Filipino Sign Language and deaf culture sensitivity, courtesy to PWDs, and working with sign language interpre-ters to allow smooth communication between the deaf and hearing individuals.

Police will also network and coordinate with other agencies to conduct effective investigation and referrals when necessary.

The initiative is part of the GVSP’s Break the Silence Project which raises awareness on the rights of the deaf. The project is supported by the Australian Government through the Philippines-Australian Community Assistance Program.

PACAP provides small grants assistance to poor communities throughout the Philippines. Since it started in 1986, PACAP has awarded more than 2,200 grants to 1,320 civil society organizations benefitting more than 1.4 million poor Filipinos.

The Break the Silence Project aims to assist local government partners to deal more effectively with sexual abuse cases involving deaf persons.

It will also develop a national framework focused on the prevention of Deaf Child Sex Abuse and provide emergency support to abuse victims by providing access to deaf para-counsellors and court interpreters.

“Anyone nga deaf unya i-abuse sila regardless of age and sex pwede i-accommodate,” Dugan said. – BRP (FREEMAN)