DSWD orders a QC orphanage shut down

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines— The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has issued a cease and desist order against a private orphanage in Quezon City after it allegedly violated a law against child abuse, exploitation, and discrimination.

DSWD issued the order against Gentle Hands Inc. on Monday following a complaint that it had violated Republic Act No. 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination.

The welfare authority also received a separate report that the orphanage “failed to comply with the minimum standards for residential facilities for children,” according to DSWD Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez.

Addressed to Gentle Hands executive director Charity Graff, the order halts the orphanage’s further operations pending a DSWD investigation for up to 20 days from the order’s issuance, unless lifted earlier by the welfare department.

Lopez asserted the order was issued pursuant to the welfare bureau’s “authority, regulatory powers and responsibility to assist in the protection of the rights of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”

“Since the DSWD is the one accrediting and giving out licenses to operate on SWDAs (social welfare and development agency), the Department has the power to issue a CDO against an SWDA, especially if there are serious concerns regarding their facilities,” he said.

‘Imminent danger’

Alongside other DSWD officials, Secretary Rex Gatchalian also conducted a surprise visit to the orphanage in Project 4, Quezon City on Saturday where he determined that children under GHI are in “imminent danger.”

“Through the unannounced inspection, the Secretary was able to confirm that the children in GHI are in imminent danger and decided that it is in the best interest of the children to be transferred to a safe shelter,” Lopez said in a Monday statement.

In a Tuesday press briefing, Gatchalian elaborated that overcrowding, dirtiness, ventilation concerns, and fire safety issues were the four primary factors behind his “imminent danger” tag.

The orphanage houses 149 children in a space designed for only 80 raised Gatchalian, creating ventilation and safety hazards.

“That by itself is very alarming already. Aantayin ko pa ba na magkaroon ng aksidente when we are the parents of the nation?” he said, raising particular concern over fire hazards found in the orphanage.

The welfare secretary also noted that only the orphanage’s five kasambahays (domestic helpers) were present during the inspection, even though residential facility protocols require the supervision of social workers around the clock.

Education infractions, ‘disruptive cases’

Gatchalian also condemned cracks in Gentle Hands’ educational practices, such as overcrowding of classrooms and use of homemade modules “without DepEd sanctions.”

DSWD officials discovered upon inspection that the orphanage was accommodating over a hundred kids in two classrooms with maximum capacities of 20 students each.

“How are kids learning when they’re with you?” decried the secretary.

“Maraming imminent danger red flags that prompted us to act immediately on the first day of the week to issue a cease-and-desist order,” he added.

Readying the kids for transfer

Usec. Pinky Romualdez also said during the briefing that Gentle Hands agreed to hand the children over to DSWD’s care by Tuesday’s end.

State social workers led by DSWD-NCR regional director Atty. Michael Lorico will administer the kids’ transfer to other residential care facilities.

“Even if it takes us the whole day, our social workers are there and very patient in dealing with the kids,” assured Romualdez.

The Gentle Hands kids will be temporarily housed in Elsie Gaches Village in Alabang, Nayong Kabataan in Mandaluyong, and the Reception and Study Center For Children in Quezon City.

As the closure and transfers may be sensitive experiences for the Gentle Hands kid, Gatchalian assured that the DSWD intends to accommodate each child’s personal needs on a “case-to-case basis.”

“[We will pull them out] today, or for as long as the child is ready to move… Importante sa amin na naayon [ito] sa pagkakaunawa ng [bata],” he said.

Romualdez also reassured constant surveillance of Gentle Hands by state social workers since the cease-and-desist was issued on Monday night. Three social workers were permitted to stay inside the orphanage overnight, while a team was stationed outside the premises, according to the undersecretary.

Prior complaints

Gatchalian confirmed that prior complaints against Gentle Hands have been filed, and that the DSWD has continually pursued the orphanage’s infractions since August 2022.

“Continuous yan. We keep on pushing them to keep on answering and fixing their deficiencies. That’s why when they were saying no due process— there’s due process. But because due process sometimes takes time, we had to make sure that the best interest of the child is already secured,” he said, asserting the urgency of the cease-and-desist order.

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