THE Cagayan de Oro City Council has allocated a total of P9 million for the establishment of the Bahay Pag-Asa, a home for juvenile delinquents in Maitum, Barangay Puerto.
The councilors' allocation is on top of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Council's (JJWC) P10-million budget and the City's P5-million fund for the six-bed capacity two-storey building shelter for kids.
City Councilor Reuben Daba, chairman of the committee on social services, said the P9 million is included already in the city's 2017 budget.
The Bahay Pag-Asa will stand in 10-hectare land in Maitum, which was donated by the Cagayan Capitol College in 1990.
Daba said it will serve as a shelter to rehabilitate and transform child offenders, and part of the city's dream to build an Oro Care Center Village to provide a child-friendly environment for kids in the city.
Section 49 of Republic Act 9344, or an Act establishing a Comprehensive Juvenile Justice and Welfare System, states that local government units shall set aside an amount to build youth detention homes as mandated by the Family Courts Act. Youth detention homes may also be established by private and non-government organizations licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, in consultation with the JJWC.