HOUSE OF HOPE. Cagayan de Oro City officials and representatives of the Region 10 Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee join the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Oro 60-bed 'Oro Bahay Pag-asa' shelter on Thursday (Oct. 1, 2020). The shelter is dedicated to the rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law. (Photo courtesy of CSWD-CDO)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city government here opened Thursday a 60-bed shelter for children in conflict with the law (CICLs).
The shelter--known as "Oro Bahay Pag-asa (House of Hope)--was built in partnership with the Region 10 Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (RJJWC), which provided PHP5 million to complete the facility located in Maitum, Upper Puerto.
Ronnie Barros of the RJJWC secretariat said the shelter will be dedicated to the rehabilitation of CICLs as a way to reintegrate into mainstream society
"Though they have violated laws, there is still a need to protect the rights of the children)," Barros said as he cited the significance of establishing the Bahay Pag-asa," Barros said.
In partnership with Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Barros said the RJJWC is tasked to create the Alternative Learning System (ALS) module for Bahay Pag-asa for the entire country.
Bahay Pag-asa forms part of the city's Oro Care Village, which will also house a Covid-19 isolation facility, a "Boystown," a mental hospital for the abandoned and neglected, an administrative building, family kiosks for visiting families, a livelihood technical school, an automotive skills training center, a chapel, an infirmary, and a covered court.
Oliver Egypto, head of the city's Office of Community Affairs, said the facility can also house abused women and the elderly.
"The pandemic we are experiencing now only tests the consistency of the LGU's advocacy to nurture these people," Egypto said. (PNA)
