I. PRELIMINARIES Gender-based violence (GBV) remains pervasive in the Philippines despite passage of key legislations such as the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Law (RA 9262), the amended Anti-Rape Law (RA 8353), and the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710). The 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reveals that 1 out of 4 married women aged 15-49 have experience any form of physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or most recent partners. The 2017 NDHS also shows that only one-third of women who experience physical or sexual violence sought help, and the common source of help was not with the authorities but with the woman’s own family (65%) and friends (18%). This does not speak well of a country that boasts of placing 8th in the Global Gender Gap Report for 2018 and of being one of the most gender equal countries in Asia. Recognizing the continuing prevalence of gender-based violence and the continuing challenges in women’s access to justice, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), with funding support from GoJust, undertook its Gender-Based Observatory Project. It is envisioned as a resource hub for GBV, a repository of GBV data including normative standards on GBV from the international to domestic levels, as well as GBV researches particularly looking at how laws on GBV are implemented, and how GBV manifests in the lived experiences of women. The GBV observatory contributes to the monitoring of State’s obligations in addressing GBV and in forwarding key policy recommendations. It aims for a deeper and wider understanding of GBV, enhancing women’s access to justice, and in general, in making data work for women. It also addresses one of the key targets of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), on the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spaces, including trafficking and sexual violence and other types of exploitation. The GBV Observatory Project began in 2018 spearheaded by the Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights Center (GEWHRC) and led by Focal Commissioner for Women, Commissioner Karen Gomez Dumpit. The specific objectives of the project included the review of the roles of state actors in addressing GBV, the mapping of existing legal referral mechanisms, and the documentation of processes, key themes and discourses, including the identification of issues, gaps, and challenges. The project has three key components: (a) the development of GBV framework and mapping of GBV legal referral mechanisms in five key pilot areas; (b) the call for research on GBV; and, (c) the continuing regional mapping of legal referral mechanisms to be conducted by the Commission’s 16 regional offices. Considering the remaining component of the GBV Project – particularly the regional mapping of GBV legal referral mechanisms, there is a need to extend the initial GBV mapping by expanding its scope to the Commission’s 16 Regional Offices. This endeavor ensures sustainability through capacity building of regional CHR officers on the conduct of GBV mapping and monitoring in their respective areas of responsibility, and through strengthening of local inter-agency responses to GBV. The Regional Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Mapping and Strengthening of Legal Referral Mechanisms to address GBV is a continuation of the initial mapping conducted under the GBV Observatory Project. 4