An assessment of the capabilities of the local government in addressing the problem of prostitution in the Municipality of Bocaue

Prostitution is considered as a disease of the Philippine society. It has spread all over the country increasing the number of victims including the innocent children. Prostitution is a social problem that needs to be addressed. It does not only exist in the cities and tourist areas, it has spread even in provinces like Bocaue in Bulacan. Bocaue is a small town in Bulacan that have been engage in the so called rest and recreation or entertainment industry for so many years. The rise of this kind of industry started in the late 1950s with the rise of similar industry in Manila. The establishments that engage in this kind of business cater various forms ow entertainment. The kinds of establishments operating in Bocaue range from the old cabarets and beer gardens to modern lazer disco houses.The rise of entertainment industry caused the rise of prostitution in Bocaue. Most of the entertainment establishments became engaged in some illicit activities including prostitution. Problems being brought by prostitution like the spread of sexually transmitted disease alarmed the local government. Because of this, in early 1970s, the local government was pushed to make some actions to close the establishments engaged in prostitution. But the local government did not succeed in this endeavor and the practice of prostitution was not stopped.In addressing the problem of prostitution, the local government had formulated and implemented several ordinances. From 1986 to 1994, two ordinances were formulated to address the problem of prostitution. These two ordinances are the Ordinance No. 48 of 1988 and Ordinance No. 01 of 1993. These ordinances are basically concerned with deterring the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It is an action against a problem being caused by prostitution. The ordinance generally state that the employees working in entertainment houses and restaurants must undergo medical examination every other two weeks. They have to secure health clearance and business permits from the local government for them to be allowed to work. And in order to have these documents, the employees must submit to medical examinations to determine if they are free from any sexually transmitted disease and that they are capable of performing their jobs.In the implementation of these ordinances, three major agencies are responsible. These are the Office of the Mayor, the Social Hygiene Clinic, and the Bocaue Police Department. These three agencies coordinate with each other in monitoring and implementing the said ordinances. The local government conduct medical examinations and surprised inspections in the different establishments to ensure the compliance of the target population to the ordinances.Different impacts were brought by the implementation of the two ordinances. It caused some changes not only on the system of the entertainment industry but also in the problem of prostitution itself. The practice of prostitution became more regulated with the implementation of the ordinances. But the change brought by the implementation of the two ordinances can clearly be seen most in the problem that prostitution brings which is the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. With the implementation of the ordinances, cases of sexually transmitted diseases decreased though not very significantly.Upon appraising the results of the actions being taken by the local government to answer the problem of prostitution, it can be said that the local government is just partly addressing the problem of prostitution. It only addresses a problem caused by prostitution and not the problem of prostitution perr se. But the local government have the administrative capabilities of implementing the two ordinances it had formulated. With its administrative capabilities, changes occurred in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases and it made the target population comply with the ordinances. But unfortunately, the local government still have not address and stopped the root of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases which is prostitution