FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION (FGD): Gender-Based Violence Referral Mechanism CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY Capt. Baldado shared that the PNP conducts regular lecture-seminars at school as a mandatory activity. He observed that the main problem is ignorance of the law; most of the parents either do not know that there are laws such as Local Parental Responsibility Code, or that if they even know, they do not fully understand the applicability of the law. Ms. Che of the Barangay Child Protection Committee (BCPC) shared that for their part, they are already implementing the punitive provisions of the Local Parental Responsibility Code through the issuance of notices of violations. After 3 notices, the office proceeds for the case build-up. On several instances, Ms. Che, acknowledges that in case of failure to locate the parents of the child, they commit the child to a shelter. It was suggested that the barangays themselves should have a holistic approach to educate their constituents regarding the local laws, considering that all the programs and policy implementation are ultimately downloaded to the barangays. USE OF GAD BUDGET Ms. Leonen shared that she is personally thankful for the GAD Budget when she implemented programs for Mental Health because the said budget accordingly supplemented the implementation of those programs. She also pointed out that the administration should also look into the sustainability of the programs where the budget is being spent. For the PNP, the GAD Budget is always included in the MOOE and is used for the lecture-seminars they conduct at schools which is a mandatory activity for them weekly. Gender-based Violence in CdO COMMON FORMS AND TRENDS OF GBV Ms. Silvosa stated that the most reported cases involve physical abuse. Ms. Leonen remarked that sexual abuses are the most under-reported. She observed that most women are still under the notion that it is their duty to have sexual relations with their husbands even if they do not feel like it. She also observed that urban poor do not report emotional abuse not until there is already physical abuse or in some cases when they are already being subjected to deadly violence. Ms. Leonen also shared that she has come across cases of child trafficking, usually occurring in mixed families where children are left to the care of other individuals who are not their parents. She also pointed out that there is a notable decline in the incidence of abuse cases when President Rodrigo R. Duterte started his anti-drug campaign because many cases really involved drugs as drugs actually trigger the violence. She remarked the importance of a strong national policy because this pushes the local government units to operationalize their local policies as well. Accordingly, the beautiful interplay of services led to better statistics. Page 10 of 16