Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday expressed full support for the government’s initiative to provide financial compensation to young victims of violent crimes, underscoring the crucial role of the state in helping them recover and rebuild their lives.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier announced an agreement establishing a referral system enabling child victims to access financial assistance for their basic needs and other recovery-related expenses.
“Our young ones deserve to be cared for, nurtured, and protected. When they become victims of cruel, violent crimes, it becomes the government’s duty to ensure that they are properly supported on the way to healing and recovery,” Romualdez said.
“By making it easier for them to access financial compensation that can cover expenses for treatment, therapy, legal support, and education, we give young survivors a real chance at a fresh start — with the government standing firmly by their side,” he added.
Romualdez vowed to champion in the House of Representatives initiatives to institutionalize the program and ensure allocation of adequate funding for the referral mechanism.
Under the memorandum of agreement signed on Tuesday, the DSWD will be able to assist and refer child-victims from the agency’s residential care facilities (RCFs) to the DOJ’s Victim Compensation Program (VCP).
The VCP aims to provide a certain amount of monetary compensation to victims of violent crimes with the objective of recompensing to a certain extent the damage to the lives of those who suffered from lawlessness and grave injustice.
The agreement covers child victims of rape, torture, enforced and involuntary disappearance, trafficking in persons, and online sexual abuse and exploitation, among others.
Romualdez lauded the program as a timely and compassionate intervention that would provide significant relief to the child victims and their families.
“By helping them jumpstart their recovery and reintegration into society, we are not only fulfilling our duty as public servants — we are also giving these children the chance to dream again and reach for a better future,” Romualdez said.
