Draft Ordinance 99-2026, introduced by Mandaue City councilors, proposes establishing an Anti-Sexual Harassment and Safe Spaces Office to investigate complaints filed against city government officials and employees.
Councilor Carlo Pontico Fortuna stated the office would function under the city's Gender and Development program to perform investigations, recommend disciplinary actions, and provide victims with protection and relief.
The proposed office would accept confidential complaints to protect victims, with the ordinance currently undergoing review by the City Council committees on laws, appropriations, and women and family.
A PROPOSED ordinance seeking to establish the Anti-Sexual Harassment and Safe Spaces Office under the Mandaue City Government aims to strengthen enforcement of existing laws by creating a dedicated office to investigate complaints involving city officials and employees.
Draft Ordinance 99-2026, authored by Councilors Carlo Pontico Fortuna, Michelle Cortes-Zafra, Jessica Del Mar, Regal Cabahug V and SK Federation president Francis Jumao-as, was referred to the committees on laws, appropriations and women and family for review and recommendation during a recent City Council session.
In an interview, Fortuna said Mandaue City already has ordinances addressing sexual harassment and safe spaces violations, but the proposed measure would establish a dedicated office within the City Government to investigate complaints involving officials and employees.
“What is important now is that we will create an office within the Mandaue City Government. Any complaints involving officials or employees who may have violated the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law or the Safe Spaces Act will be investigated by that office,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Fortuna said the office would also become part of the City’s Gender and Development (GAD) program to help ensure that victims have access to relief, remedies and protection.
“The office will perform investigatory functions, then recommend based on its findings disciplinary actions and ultimately under the Civil Service regulations, the final authority is with the Office of the Mayor,” he said.
Fortuna said the proposed office is intended to strengthen enforcement of anti-sexual harassment and safe spaces laws within the local government.
“We do not take things lightly, if we want to give more teeth to the anti-sexual harassment law, we give more teeth to safe spaces law,” he said.
He added that the office would accept confidential complaints, stressing the need to protect victims of sexual harassment.
“We can accept confidential complaints because all cases, especially those involving sexual harassment, are treated as confidential. We need to protect victims in these cases,” he said.
The proposed ordinance remains under committee review before it can be deliberated by the City Council. (ABC/Gwenyth P. Borhonia, UV intern)