DUMAGUETE CITY, March 19 -- Reports of violence against women (VAW) in Negros Oriental have risen this year, a police official said Tuesday.

Lt. Helen Aldirite, head of the Women and Children Protection Desk of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said during the Kapihan sa PIA (Philippine Information Agency) forum here that for the first two months of this year, the province has already recorded 18 more VAW incidents than in 2023.

NOPPO records showed 62 VAW incidents in January and February, compared to 44 during the same period in 2023.

Aldirite said more women are coming out in the open to report abuses and file cases against their abusers.

She said interventions and other activities conducted by the police and ot...