ILOILO – The first residential care facility in the province is now ready to house children in conflict with the law (CICL).
Last week, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. led the blessing, inauguration and unveiling of the marker of the Balay Pagbag-o for CICL at Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital compound in Barangay Pungtod, Cabatuan town.
Defensor said this has been a dream of the provincial government through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) headed by Sarah M. Barayuga.
“Inang aton Balay Pagbag-o, that is a must-needed facility nga halin pa sang una sang congressman ko ginapangita ko ina. I have been lobbying sa national budget so that we can have a house for our youth offenders, or kabataan in conflict with the law,” said Defensor.
The governor explained that many children are caught in conflict with the law by the PSWDO and law authorities in the province, but Iloilo does not have a facility to cater to them.
“Kon wala ka butangan, you have to set them free. Setting them free is not a problem; ang problema lang kay wala functional family nga balikan, indi namon mapapauli kay wala pamilya. This is a big achievement for our PSWDO, kay dugay na naton ina kinahanglan nga facility,” the governor added.
The Balay Pagbag-o is a 24-hour child-caring institution established, funded and managed by the provincial government through the PSWDO.
The facility is a physical manifestation of how the provincial government of Iloilo values the dignity of women and children and recognizes the need to protect the Filipino family and its members from violence and threats to their personal safety and security.
It also provides short-term residential care for male CICL who are above 15 years old but below 18 years old and are awaiting court disposition of their cases or transfer to other agencies or jurisdiction.
It offers the following programs and services: case management, family-based services, homelife and health services, ecumenical and interfaith program, developmental services, livelihood and entrepreneurial program, educational services, psychosocial services, and recreation and other cultural activities.
Admission Requirements
* Court order or decision on the petition for involuntary commitment
* Initial comprehensive social case study report from referring City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office
* Psychological/psychiatric evaluation of the child
* Birth certificate or any other legal documents to show proof of age in absence of the former
* School records – Report Card Form 138, Form 137-S, or ALS Certification (preferably with rating)
* Recent medical certificate with results of the following tests: CBC, Urinalysis, X-Ray Chest PA, Drug Test, AIDS and HIV Test, and RTP-CR./PN
