THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has recognized the Las Piñas City government for “satisfactory compliance” in establishing and maintaining a child-care program dubbed “Bahay Pag-asa.”
The DSWD’s Standards Bureau granted Mayor Imelda Aguilar a Certificate of Accreditation for the city’s compliance with the Second Level standard requirements, or Level 2 Accreditation, in the implementation of the program for the youth.
Bahay Pag-asa centers are child-care institutions that offer rehabilitation and intervention to children in conflict with the law. Under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, these facilities are established and run by local government units.
Las Piñas was the only local government unit in the southern part of Metro Manila that received the Level II accreditation from the DSWD.
In a letter sent to Aguilar, the DSWD informed the mayor on the city’s completed compliance on their recommendations on the assessment of the center conducted by their technical staff led by Christie Reamico last February.
The letter signed by lawyer Megan Therese Manahan, Director IV of DSWD Standards Bureau, stated that the facility – situated along Aria Street, Sta. Cecilia in Barangay Talon 2 – got a perfect 290/290 points for Level I application and satisfactorily meeting the desired requirements for Level II Accreditation with 123/150 points equivalent 82 percent.
“The children at risk and those who are in conflict with the law confined at the center were receiving various services like educational, spiritual, do gardening and others,” said Mayor Aguilar.
“Social workers assigned at the center are diligently working hard for the confined children to soon be accepted in the city’s community,” she added.
Republic Act 10630 stated that “Bahay Pag-asa” are 24- hour child-care institutions managed, established, and funded by LGUs that provide short-term residential care to children who are in conflict with the law.
Parts of the institution are a support center and an intensive juvenile intervention that serves for counseling and rehabilitation of the said children.
These houses of hope are also categorized as a social welfare development (SWD) program, specifically a “center-based residential program”.
A certificate of accreditation from DSWD is issued to SWD programs and services that comply with prescribed requirements for its facilities which were set.