(Eagle News)—Senator Leila de Lima said there should be a review of the Bahay Pag-Asa program to ensure that children in conflict with the law are treated properly there.
De Lima made the call following the approval of several proposals in the House of Representatives and the Senate to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12, lower than the 15 pegged by the current Juvenile and Justice Welfare Act.
The House has passed its version on second reading, while the Senate’s version has been approved by the justice committee.
According to De Lima, of the 114 Bahay Pag-asa that were required under the law, only 58 are operational as of November 2018 of which only eight of were fully compliant with the law, based on data from the Child Rights Network.
She noted that there were reports only P40 million has been spent out of the P400 million allocated in 2013 to build “Bahay Pag-asa” centers.
According to De Lima, there were also reports that violence persists in some “Bahay Pag-asa” centers.
For this, De Lima cited the case of a 14-year-old boy from Bahay Pag-asa in Mandaluyong City who supposedly suffered bruises after he was punched while asleep.
“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.
“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,” De Lima added.
