TWO social workers assigned at the Home Care Center in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City were relieved by Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan to another office after he received reports on how they mistreated children in conflict with the law (CICL) staying there.
Chan said he ordered the relief of the head and assistant head of the Home Care Center in Gun-ob after he received a letter-complaint written by female CICLs staying there over how the two social workers treated them.
The CICLs claimed they were not given enough food and were often only given sardines and "misua" or wheat flour noodles on a daily basis.
They also claimed that the two social workers allegedly cut their monthly soap supply by half and gave them only two sachets of shampoo that they would need to use for a month.
They even claimed that five of their fellow CICLs have attempted to commit suicide because of the treatment they received inside the facility.
SunStar Cebu has withheld the names of the two social workers pending their comment on the issue.
Chan immediately ordered an investigation on the two social workers based on the complaint he received.
The mayor disclosed the Home Care Center has an annual budget of P1.2 million but he was surprised to find out that only a few goes to the CICLs.
Chan also found out that two CICLs living in the facility were reportedly harmed by social workers.
He also found other complaints including that the some CICL are being fed expired food.
“For me this is very serious because we don’t want na mabalitaan lang nato nga sa kalinghod sa ilang pangedaron nakahuna-huna sila nga mo do sila sa paglaslas, mo do sila sa protest because they feel bored inside the dormitory. Kay wa silay time to play supposedly naa silay schedule sa pagduwa, pero mura sila ug gipriso, anha lang mo you cannot go out,” Chan said.
Separately, Mely Degamo, head of the city's Social Welfare and Development Office, said it was first time she heard of complaints from CICLs being kept at the facility.
She, however, welcomed the mayor's move to transfer the two social workers while an investigation is being conducted. (FROM GCM OF SUPERBALITA CEBU/JKV)