Boy beaten to death by other wards in Manila shelter for street children

Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–One of the street children under the care of a Manila City government-run rehabilitation center—described by observers as a concentration camp because of cases of negligence and maltreatment—was beaten to death by other wards.

Even worse, no one at the Manila Reception and Action Center (RAC) on Villegas Street near city hall was sanctioned over the incident which happened in mid-2013.

Catherine Scerri, deputy director of Bahay Tuluyan, a nongovernment group promoting children’s rights, said they received very little information about the case.

“A child was killed at the RAC last year. He was beaten to death by other children. No charges were filed and no RAC staff was disciplined as a result of this incident,” Scerri said.

The incident was confirmed by Manila Social Welfare and Development head Maria Shiela Lacuna-Pangan to Scerri when they met on Nov. 6 and 10.

Bahay Tuluyan said that since 2008, it has been urging the Manila City government to upgrade the services, facilities and treatment of children at the center.

Operated by the Manila Social Welfare Department, the facility is where policemen, barangay (village) watchmen and other law enforcers bring children rescued from abusive parents or guardians, picked up for vagrancy or for committing a crime.

However, while the center is supposed to take care of and rehabilitate these children, Bahay Tuluyan says it has documented reports of staff torturing and even sexually abusing children on top of other children bullying other wards as staffers look away or tolerate the abuse.

This was apparently how the victim died as the child was bullied and beaten to death by other children.

“I don’t have any personal details, but apparently the case is with the City Legal Department. [It seemed that Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada] only found out about it when I mentioned it. He said he would [act on it],” Scerri said.

Earlier, Estrada also vowed to upgrade the RAC’s facilities and services next year.

Bahay Tuluyan says that while this might be one of the worst cases of abuse at the RAC, since 2008, they have documented 2,000 children rescued and brought to the RAC, most of whom had stories to tell about the abuse and violence they suffered in the facility.

“We have talked to children who told us that they are awakened early, at 3 to 4 a.m., to take a bath. About 20 of them shower together and share just one soap,” Scerri said.