POSITIVE CHANGE. Children in conflict with the law (CICLs) undergo a 15-day training from March 11-April 3 by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Barangay Roma Norte in Enrile town. Some 25 CICLs in Cagayan Valley have been given a new lease on life after receiving TESDA training certificates on Motorcycle/Small Engine Servicing on April 18, 2024. (Photo courtesy of DSWD)
MANILA – Twenty-five children in conflict with the law (CICLs) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) have been given a new lease on life after receiving training certificates from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The CICLs, who are residing at the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Regional Rehabilitation for Children and Youth (RRCY) in the region, were awarded the training certificates on Motorcycle/Small Engine Servicing on Thursday after completing a 15-day TESDA training from March 11-April 3 in Barangay Roma Norte in Enrile town.
“The training has equipped the CICLs with necessary knowledge and skills in installing engines properly, dissembling engine parts, and connecting service parts of small engines,” DSWD-RRCY head Rommel Gamiao said in a Friday news release.
“Soon they will be awarded their National Certificate Level II (NC-II) once they pass the assessment to be conducted by TESDA-Region 2,” he added.
One of the participants, ‘alias’ Mark, 18, expressed happiness for being part of the program, saying he can now look forward to using his new-found skills to have a reliable source of income when he gets out of the rehabilitation center.
Mark, a former car thief, said once his rehabilitation is over, he will continue to enhance his acquired knowledge from the training by enrolling in an automotive servicing educational facility.
“Gusto ko po talagang maging automotive [technician]. Bata pa lang ako, 12 years old pa lang ay kinakalikot ko lahat ng mga bagay na nahahawakan ko (I really want to become an automotive technician. Since I was a 12-year-old kid, I have been tinkering with everything I could get my hands on),” he said.
Another participant, ‘alias’ Kerwin, 20, said he could not explain the joy he felt the first time the machine he fixed worked.
“Sobrang happy po kasi naging effective po ‘yong turo ng aming instructor noong in-apply namin kaya hindi ko talaga ma-express yong saya na naramdaman ko nang gumana yung ginawa ko (I am so happy because the teaching of our instructor was really effective when we applied it, that is why I cannot really express the joy I felt when the engine I fixed worked),” he said.
Kerwin, who is in the center for four years now, hoped that he will soon be acquitted of the rape case he was accused of.
Aside from the skills he gained in the training, Kerwin shared that the biggest lesson he got through rehabilitation was his strong faith.
“Ang dami kong natutunan dito sa loob tulad ng pananampalataya ko sa Panginoon. Thankful ako kasi hindi ko akalain na dito ko pala Siya makikilala (I have learned so much here, like my being faithful to God. I am thankful because I never thought I would meet Him here.),” he said.
“Siguro diretso ako sa church para magpasalamat sa mga nangyari sa akin, hindi lang po sa mga nangyari sa akin dito [sa Center] kung ‘di yung mga negative din na nangyari kasi hindi ako natuto kung wala akong nagawang negative (Maybe I will go straight to church to give thanks for what happened to me, not only for what happened to me here at the Center, but also for the negative things that happened because I would not have learned if I had not experienced anything negative),” he added.
Also present during the graduation ceremony were Gamiao, DSWD Cagayan Valley Field Office Assistant Regional Director for Operations Franco Lopez, Manpower Development Officer II Alfred Queja, Rolando Salvatera, trainer on Motorcycle and Small Engine Servicing from TESDA-2.
The RRCY is a facility designed to provide intensive treatment in a residential setting for the rehabilitation of CICL whose sentences have been suspended. It serves as a nurturing out-of-home placement for children in need of rehabilitation. (PNA)
