July 03, 2024 - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) signed an agreement with the Cebu provincial government to establish the first ever Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) for Girls.
“We will ensure the facility is put to good use,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia during the signing ceremony.
The agreement grants DSWD usufruct over the Bahay Pag-Asa building in Barangay Inayagan, Naga City until 2034. The building was originally constructed with the help of the DSWD attached agency Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) as a residential facility for children in conflict with the law (CICL).
This two-story RRCY for Girls aims to provide specialized rehabilitation programs for female CICL, to aid their reintegration into society and reduce recidivism. The center can accommodate up to 50 girls from Cebu province at a time.
The facility includes an admission room, staff rooms and offices, a clinic, a kitchen and mess hall, accessible bedrooms and bathrooms, bedrooms, a prayer room, an isolation room, and a specialized room for intensive intervention and support.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by JJWC Executive Director Atty. Tricia Clare A. Oco, DSWD Field Office 7 Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero, Cebu Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, and Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer-in-Charge Mary Rose Vincoy.