Datu Odin Sinsuat, MDN| The Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS)- BARMM has taken significant strides to foster a safer and more inclusive workplace by equipping its workforce with essential knowledge and skills focusing on the “Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act 11313) and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)”. The Ministry hosted two vital orientation sessions on December 11 and 12, 2024 at the Nereland Resort and Events Place, Ummah Village, DOS, Maguindanao del Norte.
Atty. Ashraf Hasheimi M. Muhammad of the MPOS Legal and Legislative Liaison Section led the orientation on the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313), highlighting its provisions and significance wherein this legislation actively prohibits all forms of gender-based sexual harassment in public and private settings, protecting individuals from unwelcome and inappropriate actions or remarks.”𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴,” he emphasized.
Atty. Muhammad highlighted the broad application of the law, which covers public areas such as streets, transportation hubs, malls, government offices, and even private vehicles under app-based transport services. He also underscored the alarming statistics from the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Philippine National Police, which reveal thousands of reported cases of violence and harassment against women in recent years.
One of the participants, Mr. Judi Ciaree D. Talaguit, Administrative Assistant from the MPOS’ Home Affairs Services: Law Enforcement Coordination Division provided his valuable insights during the orientation, stating, “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.”
This session provided participants with a deeper understanding of the law’s objectives, equipping them to advocate for and uphold safe spaces within their communities and workplaces.
Meanwhile, during the afternoon session of the second day of the activity, facilitated by Ms. Gabrielle Sinag Vicente, National PSEA Officer of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Co-Chair of the Mindanao PSEA Network, the session centered on the topic of Protection of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), emphasizing its principles and application in fostering ethical governance and professional conduct.
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦,” Ms. Vicente shared.
Participants were introduced to safeguarding practices and PSEA principles, emphasizing the importance of integrating these into organizational policies and operations. Topics included mandatory reporting mechanisms, survivor-centered approaches, and tools for monitoring and preventing sexual misconduct. The training also highlighted the need for consistent application of core standards to ensure accountability across all levels.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘚𝘌𝘈 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭,” Ms. Amierah M. Asim, Development Management Officer from MPOS’ Special Operations Division, a participant, shared her learnings and motivation during the session.
These back-to-back sessions reflect MPOS BARMM’s unwavering dedication to fostering a culture of safety, respect, and accountability. By addressing the critical issues of harassment, exploitation, and abuse, the ministry aims to create environments where individuals can thrive without fear of discrimination or violence.
As the workforce returns to their respective roles equipped with enhanced knowledge and practical tools, MPOS reaffirms its commitment to championing safe spaces and safeguarding principles across all its operations. These efforts are a testament to the ministry’s vision of building a secure and inclusive Bangsamoro region for all.
#STO #SafeSpaceAct #PSEA #MPOS #BangsamoroGovernment #Bangsamoro #MPOSBARMM
