The Paghilom Program

Vision: Re-create and empower lives of the wounded and victims

Mission: Enable widows, orphans, family members and communities of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims to reach their full potential and facilitate more effective interaction with the larger social environment. Specifically, help the families of EJK victims in healing and rebuilding their lives.

Program Framework

To restore the well-being, dignity and peace of the survivors of EJK victims to the fullest extent possible, PagHILOM shall:

  • provide a holistic program for the spiritual, physical, social, and psychological healing and development of the families of EJK Victims
  • form a network/sector of EJK families and communities
  • empower them to recover their sense of wellbeing and become contributing members of the community
  • develop interventions based on the different identified needs of individual

General Principles

  • Comprehensive continuum of care
  • Confidentiality and right to privacy
  • Gender-sensitivity
  • Appropriateness of treatment and care
  • Informed consent
  • Non-discrimination
  • Participation and self-determination
  • Respect for and protection of human rights
  • Inclusivity
  • Holistic organization and Community empowerment

Program PagHILOM is an integrated, holistic program that aims to help the widows and orphans of EJK victims rebuild and re-create their lives. This is in line with our broader organizational goal of “a society where nobody is left behind and the dignity of all people are upheld, respected, secured and celebrated.” As extrajudicial killings continue, PagHILOM reaches out to more victim survivors in partnership with other human rights groups that address their psycho-spiritual, legal, and economic needs.

7 Phases of Interventions:

Phase I: Needs Analysis (Food and Health)

Food packs are distributed to Paghilom families to help meet their daily needs, especially now with concerns over COVID-19.

Phase II: Psycho-Spiritual Intervention (PSI)

9 to 12 sessions of grief counseling every Saturday
3-day Retreat in Tagaytay City
3-day Theater Workshop and Showcase (Teatro Paghilom)

Phase III: Legal Assistance

Legal documentation services are offered to beneficiaries to help them acquire supporting documents for their legal cases. Beneficiaries in need of legal assistance are also connected with our partner lawyers. Trainings on basic human rights are also provided to beneficiaries.

Phase IV: Educational Assistance for the orphans

One scholar per family is given a monthly allowance. Paghilom also gave tablets to the orphans within our care to facilitate their online classes. Scholarships are also available to college students seeking educational support.

Phase V: Livelihood Assistance

Paghilom Livelihood-Loan Program (PLLP) is a livelihood program to help beneficiaries acquire loans to start or support their microbusiness.

Phase VI: Capacity Building, Guidance and Monitoring

“AREA COORDINATORS (AC)” are assigned to the communities of the beneficiaries. These ACs are also beneficiaries who showed interest in helping guide and lead their fellow wounded, as they become “wounded-healers in their wounded communities.

PHASE VII: Project Arise

Many EJK victims’ remains are in danger of being lost because of the expiring leases on public cemetery apartment tombs. To address this, Paghilom helps have their remains exhumed, examined, cremated, blessed, and turned over to their families to help give them closure.