Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian (File photo)
MANILA – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Tuesday said his department is now assisting the parents who have concerns against Gentle Hands Inc. (GHI), following a kidnapping case filed against the orphanage last week.
“The (parents) saw stories about Gentle Hands and they were emboldened to come out in the open. Kasi noon ay sila-sila lang (From the start they were on their own), they felt helpless. So now, suddenly, they come to us. So, we would direct them to the proper agency," Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian also ensured that cases or concerns reported to the DSWD are being referred to the “right authorities so that the authorities can do the necessary due diligence.”
In a Monday radio interview, Gatchalian shared that a case of kidnapping has been filed last Friday by a 31-year-old mother, Monina Espinosa Roxas (also known as Juvy Roxas Espinosa), against the GHI for the latter’s “failure to return” her three children.
“There are five similarly situated cases wherein distressed mothers were somehow, the children were forcibly separated from the mother, which is no-no in the Department. Definitely, you don’t break families apart,” he said.
GHI, which has childcare facilities in Project 4, Quezon City and in Baliuag, Bulacan, was temporarily closed on May 25 after the DSWD issued a cease-and-desist order for various violations.
The Bureau of Fire Protection’s Quezon City Fire District also revoked GHI’s fire safety inspection certificate after fire inspectors listed numerous violations of the Fire Code, including the lack of a proper fire escape. (PNA)
