De Lima to gov’t: Review Bahay Pag-asa program

MANILA, Philippines – Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima urged government on Saturday to review the Bahay Pag-asa program in order to ensure that children in conflict with the law are properly treated.

According to De Lima, she wants to know if the youth-care facilities are being properly managed by government as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

“It is high time to review the status of its implementation and reassess the compliance of local government units and other agencies regarding the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act which has been existing for more than a decade now,” she said in a statement.

“The government should also reassess whether these ‘Bahay Pag-asa’ centers live up to its purpose in delivering interventions that would help prevent youth offenders from repeating their offenses once they leave the institution,” De Lima added.

She also pointed out that violence persists in some Bahay Pag-asa centers, citing the case of a 14-year-old boy who woke up with several bruises.

“We need to look into this incident and see if there are enough personnel – from social worker, psychologist, and medical doctor — in every Bahay Pag-asa who can look after the welfare of these children and ensure that they engage in meaningful programs instead of exposing them to more violence,” she said.

Under RA No. 9344 all local government units are required to set up a Bahay-Pagasa center in order to the take care of children in conflict with the law.

However, out of the 114 youth-care facilities required to be created under the law, only 58 are operational as of November 2018.

The House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years from 15 years.

READ: House OKs on final reading bill lowering age of criminal responsibility to 12

Meanwhile in the Senate, 11 senators signed a joint panel report seeking to lower the minimum age of criminal liability to 12 years old.

The 11 senators who signed were: Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Richard Gordon, Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.  /muf

READ:  11 senators sign report lowering age of criminal liability to 12