JUST recently, barangay Mintal captain Ramon Bargamento revealed how they diminished the number of Children in Conflict with the Law (CICLs) in his area down to zero, from 72 in 2015.
This is by providing a program that they deemed would interest the children, especially the gang members. And what other program that interest kids than sports?
Bargamento said they chose dragon boat as their sports program because it is non-contact which prevents tensions among the children, especially the CICLs where tensions are really needed to be guarded because these may escalate violence among kids who are prone to riots.
The program is really worth emulating considering that CICLs, when not taken cared of, can be a menace to the community.
He added that they noted that the CICLs they helped through the program are also now helping them in keeping order in the barangay.
It is worth to note that based on the police record, there were more than 600 children in conflict with the law in 2016 in Davao City alone, according to the State of the Women and Children Report 2016.
If these children would grow up still in conflict with the law, then it would be surmised that they would not only commit petty crimes but serious crimes as well.
If this program worked in Barangay Mintal, then it might be worth a try in other barangays, too. Seeing a lot of dragon boats on the sea is much better than watching CICLs loitering or brawling in the streets.
Due to the success of the dragon boat program, the Mintal Dragons, the dragon boat team in Mintal, was recognized by the National Awards Committee as one of the Best Practices for the Diversion Program of Children in Conflict with the Law and Children at Risk. They will be awarded on November 26, 2018 in Metro Manila.
The award that the program achieves is only secondary to what we can really gain in general for having a program that helps bring the CICLs back to the right path.