BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has signed an executive order amending the composition of the Committee on Decorum and Investigation for the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, and expanding its functions to be consistent with Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act.
Lacson also named Julie Ann Bedrio and Marie June Castro, as CODI chair and vice chair, respectively.
Members of the CODI are Provincial Human Resource Management head Anabelle Palic, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office officer-in-charge Merle Garcia and Dr. Edmund Calaor, PSWDO population program officer.
Other CODI members are Merle Frio and Renelo Lastierre, representing the second and first level employees.
The CODI is tasked to receive and investigate sexual harassment complaints, submit a report of its findings with the corresponding recommendations to the disciplining authority for decision, while observing due process and confidentiality to the greatest extent possible, among others.
The committee is also tasked to provide measures to prevent gender-based violence in the workplace, provide and disseminate, in consultation with all the persons in the workplace, a code of conduct or workplace policy which shall expressly reiterate the prohibition of gender based sexual harassment, describe the procedure of internal mechanism, and set administrative penalties.
It will also lead in the conduct of discussions about sexual harassments, within the agency or the institution, to increase understanding and prevent incidents involving it.
All CODI members have a term year of two consecutive years while the committee secretariat is the Provincial Legal Office.
The reorganization of the CODI was one of the three Gender and Development or GAD-related EOs signed by Lacson in January.
The other EOs were for the reorganization of the Provincial GAD Focal Point System, and the organization of the Provincial Committee Against Trafficking-Child Pornography and Violence Against Women and Children, that are both chaired by Lacson.*
