QC to build home for neglected teens

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government has allotted P22 million for the construction and operation of a halfway home for abandoned and neglected children who had been in conflict with the law.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said P14 million will be spent for the construction of the two-story house in Bernardo Park compound in Kamuning, while the remaining P8 million will be used for its first year of operation.

He said the home will be able to accommodate 50 minors aged 15 to 18 years old who have been discharged from the Molave Youth Home but are found to be without a family or whose family is incapable of taking them back.

The Molave Youth Home serves as a residential and rehabilitation center for children in conflict with the law who have active cases filed in Quezon City courts.

The halfway home seeks to avoid recidivism on the part of the minors, said the mayor.

The city’s social services development department will be tasked to oversee the halfway home, which will provide shelter, food, academic and skills training, and spiritual and recreational activities for the minors.

The city also provides rehabilitation for children with drug problems at the Quezon City Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Payatas.