Center for CICL girls, ex-drug dependents mulled

Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) Head lawyer Marlisa Gallo said that two priority projects are being pushed by their office under the Executive Legislative Agenda (ELA) 2023-2025.

Gallo, in a media forum Thursday, September 29, 2022, said these are the center catering to Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) girls and a halfway house for persons who just came out of drug rehabilitation centers.

“Nakita man gud nato is wala ta’y center for CICL para sa mga babae… ang i-cater pud ana pud kadtong naay mga kaso sa korte (We have seen that we do not have a CICL center for girls… this center will cater to those who have cases in court,” Gallo said, adding that the city only has so the Bahay Pag-asa, which is a center for the male CICL.

As for the halfway house for persons who just came out of drug rehabilitation centers, Gallo said that they proposed this project as they saw that there may be those who need more interventions before they can be reintegrated into the community.

“Fixed man gud ang term sa atong rehabilitation center so kung kinanglan nga ibutang sa siya sa sort of a halfway na i-prepare napud siya pagbalik didto sa community (The time of stay at our rehabilitation centers is fixed so maybe they need to be placed in a sort of a halfway home where they will be prepared to be reintegrated to the community),” Gallo said.

The strengthening of the OFW Crisis Center, which currently occupies the fifth floor of the CSWDO building is also among the projects proposed in the ELA.

Gallo said that these three projects are placed under ELA so that they could be given priority.

Currently, the CSWDO is focusing on the development of their facility for Children with Special Needs, which is located near People’s Park. The building is ongoing construction.

The facility for children with special needs adds to the eight residential care services of CSWDO, the Lingap Center for Children, Quick Response Team for Children Center (QRTCC), Children’s Village Of Davao City (Bahay Pag-asa), Crisis Intervention Center – Balay Dangupan, Co Su Gian – Home for the Aged, Paginhawaan Drop-In Center for Children, Sidlakan Women Crisis Center and Kalinaw Village for former rebels. CIO