PROVINCIAL Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Juana Bannawe noted a decrease for both male and female cases of Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) in Benguet.
PSWDO data shows 97 cases for both male and female were recorded in 2018 compared to the 124 cases in 2017.
Data from the PSWDO reveal 49 cases were theft or robbery, 10 rape, seven physical injury, eight acts of lasciviousness, eight trespassing, six cases of threatening, two drug use, two cases of murder, one carnapping, one illegal possession of firearms and two cases of vehicular traffic accident resulting to damage to property and three cases of malicious mischief.
Bannawe attributed the decrease to “effective programs on drug war, advocacy programs on parenting either government, private entities and spiritual activities from different churches.”
Benguet capital town in La Trinidad recorded the highest with 52 cases, Itogon and Bokod came in second with nine cases each, followed by Mankayan, Sablan with six cases each.
Among the 97 cases, nine were amicably settled, 14 were filed, 46 not filed, and 28 given intervention.
Based on the age at the time of the crime committed, the 28 theft or robbery cases were committed by 13 to 15–years–old, the six acts of lasciviousness by 11 to 12–years-old, 10 rape cases committed by 13 to 17–years–old, two homicide cases committed by 13 to 17-years–old while illegal possession of firearms by an 11 to 12–years–old.