Youth offenders should be brought to barangay centers, not police stations


By RIE TAKUMI, GMA News
Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director Senior Superintendent Joselito Esquivel on Wednesday concurred that bringing minors to barangay centers is preferable to taking them to police stations.
However, he said at a forum in Quezon City that a lack of trained personnel made it necessary to have children processed at police stations first before being turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
"Ginagawa rin naman namin yun, kaso nga ang trained personnel na naghahandle ng minor ay yung aming Women and Children's Protection Desk (WCPD), e yun ay nasa aming police station," Esquivel explained.
"Pero kung at the local government, may certified silang mag-handle ng minor, pwede rin naming, tinuturn-over din namin, hinahayaan na namin at the barangay level," he continued.
Because barangays often do not have the necessary facilities to house rescued children, lawyer Michael Henry Yusingco of the Ateneo Scehool of Government noted that local officials to the police for help.
"Ideally, they should be brought to a special facility dedicated for minors. But the problem is, wala tayong ganun eh. The police, they work with what they have," he said.
Yusingco said barangays, local government, and even the community itself must take initiative and create these facilities to serve the youths, especially as 45 million Filipinos are expected to belong to the 0 to 19 age group by 2020.
"Kung sa nakikita natin ngayon that our youth are at risk, di ba natural lang to prioritize the youth who are at risk?" Yusingco said.
"Hindi lang barangay ang dapat naga-address... dapat ma-involve rin yung local government, municipality, at city, and also mai-nvolve rin yung community mismo in raising funds, in building the facility; it has to be a community effort," he added.
Esquivel said they do not take the safety of minors lightly as a slight misstep could haul them in for questioning and disciplinary actions.
"Hindi lahat ng police, pwedeng mag-handle ng minors, lalo na kung babae o lalaki. Kailangan, women's police namin maghahandle niyan 'pag minor," he said.

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