Senator eyes database for protection orders

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Lito Lapid is seeking to strengthen the enforcement of temporary protection orders (TPOs) and permanent protection orders (PPOs) issued by the courts to protect women and children from violence, with the creation of a central database of all such protective issuances.

The protection orders are issued pursuant to Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004 for the purpose of preventing further acts of violence against a woman or her child and granting other necessary relief.

The relief granted under a protection order serves the purpose of safeguarding the victim from further harm. The TPOs and PPOs also seek to minimize any disruption in the victim’s daily life by facilitating the opportunity and ability of the individual to independently regain control over their life.

Lapid filed Senate Bill 2143 seeking to strengthen the enforcement of such TPOs and PPOs by ensuring that all police officers and other law enforcement authorities who may need to implement these shall have easy access to such information.

Under the bill, the Philippine National Police shall maintain a central database for all valid and subsisting TPOs and PPOs, which shall be accessible to all police officers and law enforcement authorities.

“The responsibility of the government under RA 9262 to protect all women and children from violence and harassment is clear. Under my proposal, the enforcement of the TPOs and PPOs can be effective if we have a database of all issuances of courts of such orders,” Lapid said in Filipino.

With the measure, victims will not be burdened with the task of always providing certified copies of TPOs and PPOs whenever they ask for police assistance, the senator said.

He said that such a centralized and up-to-date database would save time and effort to protect women and children threatened with further violence as the police need not coordinate with the courts and the victims to enforce the TPOs and PPOs.

“Once our law enforcers check with the database, they can immediately implement the TPOs and PPOs,” Lapid said.

To make sure that the database will always be up to date, TPOs and PPOs shall be immediately registered with the central repository by the courts issuing them, he said.