ZAMBALES — The province’s first Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU) was inaugurated on 25 November at the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital (PRMMH) in Iba, Zambales.

The WCPU was established through the efforts of Governor Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. and Board Member Maria Cecilia F. Rafanan, who chairs the Committee on Women, Family and Gender Development. The initiative aims to provide enhanced protection and care for women and children who are victims of abuse, violence or exploitation.

The Provincial Government partnered with PRMMH, led by chief of Hospital II Dr. Eileen Rose Garrido and WCPU head Dr. Joanne Callo-Fermantez, for the operationalization of the unit. The Provincial Health Office, DepEd Zambales, the Public Attorney’s Office, social workers from all 13 towns, and the municipal police stations also played key roles in the unit’s creation.