Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman shared that at least eight local government units (LGUs) nationwide will get support from the national government for the establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa for children in conflict with the law (CICL).
The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC), an attached agency of the DSWD, allotted P40M of its 2016 budget for the establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa.
A Bahay Pag-Asa is a 24-hour child caring institution that provides short term residential care for CICL who are :
1) above 12 to 15 years of age who committed serious crime with commitment order issued by the court;
2) above 12 to 15 years of age who are repeat offenders and previously subjected to a community-based intervention;
3) above 15 to below 18 years of age, and awaiting court disposition; and
4) above 12 to below 18 years of age who are considered to be neglected, abandoned, or abused.
The facility shall be managed by a multi-disciplinary team composed of a social worker, a psychologist/mental health professional, a medical doctor, an educational guidance counsellor, and a member of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC).
Under RA 9344 as amended, the government shall appropriate P400M for the construction of Bahay Pag-Asa, Php 40M of which will be released in 2016. The budget will be coursed through the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) for implementation.
“The operation of Bahay Pag-Asa will strengthen implementation of intervention programs for CICL, especially their rehabilitation. We want to help these children become productive citizens and prevent them from committing offenses again,” Secretary Soliman added.
Secretary Soliman also reiterated that children 15 years old and below who commit offenses do not go scot-free.
“It is clarified and emphasized in the law, children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) who commit offenses, though exempt from criminal liabilities, are not free from civil liability. Further, they are also provided with appropriate intervention programs (i.e. peer counseling, life skills training, and education) that allow them to become accountable and responsible for the alleged offenses they have committed without turning to punitive justice,” Secretary Soliman stressed.
A set of criteria will be used for the selection of priority LGUs for the establishment of Bahay Pag-Asa. To date, there are 36 Bahay Pag-Asa nationwide. ###
