DAVEN, 17, has found a new home for his one-year-old and five-year-old siblings whose photo went viral online.
The two children were brought to Children's Home Center, a facility for children operated by the Mandaue City Government in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, two days after Daven asked for help from Barangay Tabok in finding someone who can temporarily look after his siblings so he can find a job to sustain their needs.
Daven has been looking after his two siblings since March, when their mother abandoned them.
"Ako lang gyud wish kay ma supportahan sila financially...ako sad maka eskwela...niabot ko sa time nga gusto nako magpakamatay pero naghuna-huna ko para nila. What if mamatay ko, mag unsa na lang sila?" he said in an interview with the media on Monday, May 15.
(My wish is for them to be supported financially and I could go to school... There was a time when I wanted to kill myself, but then I thought what would happen to them if I die?)
He said that in 2017, his family was living in Misamis Occidental in Mindanao, but they moved to Cebu hoping to find a better life.
He added that life started to get rough for his family when his father was convicted of a drug case in 2021. This affected his mother the most.
"Since then, she started to neglect us. There was even a time when she brought another man to our house. The last time we've talked, she said that if she left us for good, she already found a new lover. I guess that's why she never came home," Daven narrated in Cebuano.
Because of his family's situation, Daven admitted he had grown depressed. He narrated a time when he wanted to commit suicide because of the immense responsibility of being a parent to his siblings.
But he said his siblings are what motivated him to continue to live.
Daven struggled to find a stable income to finance his siblings as he is still a minor. However, it did not hinder him from finding ways for them to survive, and he used his talent in singing by participating in some singing contests to earn money.
The recent contest he joined was on May 13, when he got a consolation prize worth P350. He used the money to buy a diaper set for his one-year-old sibling.
Tabok Barangay Captain Dario Tariman confirmed that Daven went to their office to seek assistance on May 12.
Tariman said the barangay social worker contacted the Misamis Occidental City Social Welfare Services to attend to Daven's concern and learned that the teen's grandmother might be unable to care for his siblings well because of her age.
The village chief said they suggested housing Daven’s siblings in a temporary shelter instead, so he could come back for them once he already finds a stable job.
Mandaue City Social Services (CSWS) head Camilo Basaca said on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, that based on their initial assessment, Daven and his siblings can be considered at risk and need special protection because they are minors.
This prompted the officials to bring Daven’s siblings to Children’s Home Center in Sitio Dungguan, Barangay Basak.
Basaca encouraged Daven to continue schooling through the Alternative Learning System before they could transfer him to a regular school.
Daven said he wanted to become a working student and shared how he has received many offers since the day he went viral.
City Councilor Jennifer del Mar said the Mandaue City Government agreed to have Daven as a job order (JO) employee at the City Hall when he turns 18 in October.
The City Government also promised to provide financial support.
Del Mar said Mayor Jonas Cortes ordered the strengthening of the local council to protect the children, and part of it is ensuring care for the youth.
With the new life ahead of Daven and his siblings, the 17-year-old boy is hopeful that his father will change by the time he gets out of jail.
He said they are still willing to accept him despite what he did.
Daven, however, wanted to file a complaint for abandonment against his mother to teach her a lesson.
"Akoa lang ma discipline siya, so nangayo ko ug tabang sa CSWS nga ma-filan siya ug case," he said.
(I wanted to discipline her, so I asked for help from the CSWS to file a case against her.) (HIC)