Short answer. RA 9262 created the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children (IAC-VAWC), a body of twelve national agencies — among them DSWD, DOJ, DILG, PNP, DOH, DepEd, DOLE and NBI — tasked with designing programs against this violence, training staff to handle cases, and monitoring how the law is carried out nationwide.
What the law says
there is hereby established an Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their children, hereinafter known as the Council
RA 9262, Section 39 — Inter-Agency Council. Read the full provision →
What the law says
The Council members may designate their duly authorized representative who shall have a rank not lower than an assistant secretary or its equivalent.
RA 9262, Section 39 — Inter-Agency Council. Read the full provision →
The twelve member agencies
Section 39 lists the agencies that make up the Council: the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Human Rights, the Council for the Welfare of Children, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
What the Council is supposed to do
Beyond existing on paper, the Council formulates programs and projects to eliminate violence against women and children based on each member agency's own mandate, and it develops capability-building programs so agency employees respond to victims and survivors with more sensitivity. The Council also functions as the monitoring body for how these VAWC initiatives are being carried out across government, giving it an oversight role that goes beyond any single agency's authority.
Who represents each agency at Council meetings
Agency heads do not have to attend personally. Each Council member may designate a duly authorized representative, but that person must hold a rank no lower than assistant secretary or its equivalent, so the Council's decisions carry real institutional weight rather than being handled by junior staff with no authority to commit their agency. These representatives attend meetings in the principal's behalf and receive emoluments the Council sets under existing budget and accounting rules and regulations.
Why this matters if you are seeking help
If you are reporting abuse or seeking protective services, you are very likely dealing with one of these twelve agencies — the DSWD for social welfare assistance, the PNP for police response, the DOH for medical documentation of injuries, or the DOJ and prosecutors for building a criminal case. The Council's purpose is to make these agencies work together rather than operate in silos, coordinating training, referrals, and program design, though how well that coordination plays out can still vary from one locality to the next.
How this Council differs from the courts
The IAC-VAWC is not a court and does not decide individual cases; it operates at the policy and coordination level, setting programs and monitoring implementation. If you need an actual protection order or to file a criminal complaint, that goes through the courts or the prosecutor's office, not through this Council directly. The Council itself cannot be sued to enforce a victim's individual rights, and none of its member agencies can refuse to perform duties that other laws already impose on them simply because the Council has not yet issued a program covering that situation.
Related provisions
- RA 9262, Section 39 — Inter-Agency Council
- RA 9262, Section 38 — Exemption From Docket Fees
- RA 9262, Section 40 — Programs And Services For Victims