Kalinga PHO holds lectures to counter gender-based violence

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) holds a series of lectures to raise awareness about the rights and protection of the public against gender-based violence (GBV) through the ‘JUANA BE WAIS’.

JUANA BE WAIS is an initiative of the government aimed at preventing physical, sexual, economic, and psychological abuses through information education campaign which empowers the vulnerable sector, the community, and the workplaces.

During the Kapihan sa Kalinga forum on March 24, 2025, at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) - Kalinga office in Bulanao, Kalinga PHO personnel, Population Program Officer IV Christel Joanna Callangan and Health Education Promotion Officer II Alona Bagtang, discussed JUANA BE WAIS program. 

“JUANA BE WAIS is an initiative that communicates violence and injury prevention. We promote and prevent,” Callangan said, adding that more series of lectures that are expected to reach more communities and groups are scheduled for this year. These talks shall cover laws that inform the people of their rights which shall empower them to report and speak up against violence.

Among the target participants will be tricycle drivers since the JUANA BE WAIS also aims at empowering the communities to report any violence around them. When asked why they have chosen the tricycle drivers, Bagtang said it’s because they are usually the ones on the streets, allowing them to observe more happenings in their surroundings.

The JUANA BE WAIS program was originally slated from August to December 2024. However, its implementation in Kalinga was extended until December this year.