Honorable Cristina
Gonzales-Romualdez who is the chairperson of the Committee on Social
Services informed that these women are among those apprehended during
the saturation drives of the City DSWD and the City PNP.
She said that these
women are now on their second week of training on cosmetology. Later,
they will also be taught on handicraft making and food preservation
and when they are able to decide what livelihood they will go into,
they will be given initial capital for them to start their own
business.
Councilor Romualdez
said that the city government would like these women to network with
the other sex workers and bring them to the group so that the others
will also have the chance to change their lives for the better.
In the press
conference on August 29, Hon. Romualdez handed in P1,000 to each of
the women so that they can already start buying manicure set and go on
with a productive activity.
These women who are
from the poor barangays of the city have pledged not to go back to
their trade for as long as they will be helped to find alternative
sources of income.
One of the women sex
workers is a twenty three year old mother of two who is on her eight
week of pregnancy. Asked whether she has a husband, she answered to
the positive. When PIA asked her whether her husband knows her job,
she said yes which almost made PIA to collapse in disgust.
The oldest of the sex
workers is 47 years old but still she claims to still have customers
who pay P1,500 for her service. Another one said that one time a
foreigner took her and threw her on the bed. She told him that she is
newly operated and so the foreigner took pity on her and paid her
P1,500 without asking her to give her services. The other one, who is
the most good-looking of them all, is a mute without any sign of
emotions on her face.
The women and
children of Tacloban deserve better treatment from the public. These
women sex workers are not to be condemned but be pitied. One thing is
sure, these women sex workers will not continue engaging in their
trade if there are no men who tolerate them. If the men of Tacloban
respect their fellow Taclobanons, they will not use them as sex slaves
especially if these women are young enough to be the daughters,
sisters or mothers of these men.
