Home for young offenders to be established in Bacolod

By Lorenzo O. Lambatin Jr.

Saturday 4th of August 2012

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Aug 4 (PIA) -- A home for young offenders will soon be established in Bacolod City to house children in conflict with the law (CICL).

The Bacolod Community Development Consortium for People’s Public Private Participation (PPPP) chaired by Mayor Evelio Leonardia staged the groundbreaking for the Bacolod Youth Home on August 2, at the Vista Alegre-Arao Property, a press statement from the city public information said.

The Bacolod Youth Home is a P48-million project to be managed by the consortium with the cooperation of the local Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), whose personnel will be entrusted with the care of the children in the home.

The ground breaking was capped by the burying of a time capsule led by the mayor assisted by Councilors Em Ang and Caesar Distrito, representatives of the Virlanie Foundation and other consortium members.

CICL will be housed in the project where they will be given the proper care and training in order to allow their easy reintegration into society’s mainstream in future.

Bacolod was chosen as the pilot city for the Democratic Local Governance in Southeast Asia (Delgosea) PPPP in Cambodia.

The Bacolod Youth Home was chosen as the people’s-private-public participation of Toule Sangke, Cambodia.

The city was chosen for its good track record in exercising local government functions, solid potential of human resources, strong leadership quality of the local chief executive and capability to replicate best practices of other countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Ang said that the project will serve as the legacy of Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia to the city to a testament of the unity, cooperation and support of every sector of our society to children in conflict with the law.

Leonardia said the project was made possible because of private participation. He said it is everyone’s duty and moral obligation to see to the welfare of the children.

He also commended Punong Barangay Eman Rectra for his positive and enthusiastic response to the establishment of project in his barangay.

Consotium Chairperson Mila Ong called on everyone’s cooperation for the success of the project. (PIO City/PIA6-LOL/JCM)