THE first Bahay Pag-asa (BPA) for girls in Davao Region, with a proposed budget of P15 million is expected to be built this year to provide a dwelling place for girls in conflict with the law (CICL).
Department of Social Office and Development (DSWD)-Davao partnered with the Davao City Social Services Development Office (CSSDO) in planning the home and the guidelines for this new BPA for girls before they forward the request to the city mayor's office this month.
DSWD-Davao region Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee chief Ma. Lourdes Rafanan, in an interview, said there are 12 girls from all over the region who are in their care for being in conflict with the law who are temporarily placed in the Group Home for Girls for Abused Women in Tugbok, Davao City.
Rafanan said the 12 girls, who mostly have drug and thefts cases, have to be transferred to a BPA in order to equip them with the necessary attention for their welfare since the Group Home attends to an entirely different concern.
"All the four Bahay Pag-asa in the region are only limited to the boys. DSWD-Davao Region now finds the need to provide a BPA for girls because Group Home for Girls has different agenda," Rafanan said.
She said the P10 million of the budget was provided by the Juvenile Justice Welfare Council (JJWC) while the P5 million is upon the approval of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. The budget will be maximized for the construction, equipment, and the services.
At present, Rafanan said DSWD and CSSDO are still looking for a 1,000 square meters lot area in Toril to build the BPA.
"We need a big area to provide recreational activities for our girls such as gardening and sports activities," she said.
Rafanan hopes their proposal will get a positive response from the mayor. She added that once operational, they will also be accepting donations from private groups and organizations.