2,880 juveniles arrested in Baguio, rehab center urged

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The number of juvenile delinquents had drastically risen here prompting Councilor Mylen Yaranon to propose  a “Bahay Pag-Asa” for rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law.

In a proposed ordinance, Yaranon said there is a need to establish an institution that will provide a 24-hour child care and rehabilitation for juvenile delinquents in the city considering their increasing number and their urgent need for intervention.

According to Yaranon, data from police stations in the city showed a total of 2,880 CICL apprehended from 2014 to July 2016. 

“The data show that there is a need to establish a ‘Bahay Pag-asa’ to rehabilitate and to care for the increasing number of CICL in the city (to fulfill its obligation) to protect the rights of every child,” Yaranon noted.

She said Bahay Pag-asa “refers to a 24-hour child-caring institution established, funded and managed by the local government unit and licensed and or acrredited non-government organizations providing short-term residential care for CICL who are above 15 but below 18 and who are awaiting court disposition of their cases or transfer to other agencies or jurisdiction.”

The city being a highly-urbanized center is mandated to build, fund and operate the said institution following the standards set by the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development  and adopted by the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) pursuant to Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

Yaranon proposed that the city institution be managed by a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) composed of a social worker, a psychologist or mental health professional, a medical doctor, an educational or guidance counselor and a member of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children.

The team will work on the individualized intervention plan with the child and the child’s family, she proposed.

As proposed, the city government will determine the location of the center and provide a counterpart fund equivalent to the national government contribution of P5 million for the center.

The center should be “gender-sensitive.”

“The council may accept donations, grants and contributions from various sources, in cash or in kind, for purpose relevant to its functions, subject to the usual government accounting and auditing rules and regulations,” Yaranon proposed.

Yaranon’s proposal will be discussed by the city council soon.