THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to start construction of five regional Bahay Pag-Asa (BPA) facilities for young law offenders, also called children in conflict with the law (CICL).
Secretary Rex Gatchalian said P275 million had been earmarked under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to finance the construction of additional BPAs across the country.
Data of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC), an attached agency of the DSWD, showed there are 118 operational BPAs nationwide.
“For JJWC, another protective services increase is the construction of regional Bahay Pag-Asa, which is another multi-year commitment. Right now, we were given P275 million to build more Bahay Pag-Asa for our CICL,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief pointed out that the project will help fulfill the 50-year commitment embodied in Presidential Decree No. 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code of 1974 to establish facilities or centers for the rehabilitation of CICLs.
“Because we know that many years after the law, almost 50 years after the law, there is still a lack of Bahay Pag-Asa nationwide. So for us to fulfill the restorative justice provision of the law, it is necessary that the national government will take the lead in building these Bahay Pag-Asa,” Gatchalian said.
The construction of BPAs is also mandated under Section 51 of the Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.
The BPAs are currently operated by local government units (LGUs) and accredited non-government organizations (NGOs). The facilities provide immediate care, assessment, and necessary intervention for CICL, particularly those requiring temporary shelter pending court resolution of their cases.
“We’ve seen that our LGUs are struggling because of limited fiscal capacity on their side. So now, the national government will intervene by piloting five regional Bahay Pag-Asa,” Gatchalian said.
The construction of the BPAs is aligned with the Department’s development competency, providing the needed interventions to lead the CICL toward transformative change.
