DUMAGUETE CITY -- Some 17 boys staying at the Talay Youth Home in Barangay Talay here have expressed gratitude to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Sub-port Office here for the Christmas treat they received on Wednesday.
“Nalipay ko ug nagpasalamat sa Customs nga ilang gihimo ni para namo (I am happy and grateful that the Customs office did this for us),” Manolo (not his real name) said with all smiles, when asked how he felt about the outreach activity.
The treat included lunch from a fastfood chain, snacks, personal hygiene materials, and some home-cooked food.
Except for one boy, who is not a juvenile offender, the rest of the boys are committed to the youth home for a certain period, depending on the severity of their cases, being the so-called Children in Conflict With the Law (CICL).
“Dili kada adlaw makakaon mi ani (It’s not every day that we can eat this kind of food),” Manolo said, referring to the packed lunch.
This is the second time that the BOC-Dumaguete, headed by Customs Collector Fe Lluelyn Toring, visited the youth home at Christmastime as part of their outreach program.
“Ni decide among grupo, among mga kauban nga mubalik dire karong tuiga kay sa atong society daghan pa nga kulang gud sila ug pagtagad (Our group, our staff, decided to return to the youth home this year because in our society, there are many who are still in need of attention),” Toring said.
She added they will be doing this every year at the youth home in Barangay Talay.
“Kani among gipili nga recipient kay kaning mga bata (We chose them as our recipient because these children) need more attention, love, and care,” Toring said.
Meanwhile, Joel Delmo, a social worker from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) who heads the Talay Youth Home, also thanked the local Customs staff for sharing their blessings, saying it is always a welcome treat for the young offenders, who are separated from their families, especially this Christmas.
“Dili man sila basta makapauli lang kay duna kami gisunod nga proseso aron sila dili na mubalik sa ilang karaang bisyo o kinabuhi (These CICL cannot just leave the facility because there is a process to follow to ensure they will not go back to their old ways when they leave),” he said.
According to Delmo, these children were taken off the streets and brought to the youth center because of various offenses and/or violations of the law.
One of them, however, has stayed in the youth home for about five years now, because while he is not a juvenile offender, he appears to be mentally challenged and has nowhere to go.
This boy cannot remember his name and age, neither does he recall where he comes from, Delmo said.
Nicknamed “Ming” by the youth center staff, he is estimated to be 16 years old, Delmo added.
Delmo also disclosed that two of the youth home’s residents are brothers, who had committed petty crimes, but have nowhere to go home to because both parents are in jail.
Each boy has a different story to tell and it is really a challenge to give them the guidance and care that they need, he said.
“Naa pod mga bata dire nga dili na lang namo iuli sa ginikanan kay magbalik-balik ra pod kadalanan ug makahimo na pod ug dili maayo (We cannot release some of the children here to their parents because they keep on going back to the streets and commit offenses again),” Delmo added.
The duration of stay for each child depends on the case. Sometimes, Delmo said the youth home exceeds beyond its capacity.
The center was originally designed for the Sangguniang Kabataan but was not used for its original purpose, so it was converted into a youth home.
Delmo said it can only accommodate up to 16 residents at a time, but one time reached an "overflowing" 35 kids.
They had to dismantle the double deck beds to acquire more space to accommodate all the children, he added.
Delmo is hopeful that the city government will soon expand the youth home, as he disclosed that a separate building for girl-offenders will be built in the same compound. (PNA)
