AFTER LAUNCHING IN 2025

‘Bohol Youth Home’ now

serves 19 ‘kid offenders’

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Had it not been opened, nobody would know what would happen to the 19 young Boholanos who made a wrong decision and are now court-committed at the Bohol Youth Home (BYH) while awaiting sentence.

The 19 minors: 9 of them convicted on violations against Illegal Drugs (Republic Act 9165), 8 on violations of Anti-Rape Law (RA 11648), 1 for acts of lasciviousness (RA 7610) and one guilty of car-napping (RA 10883) would not be sent to prison, where being placed with hardened criminals would be illegal.

But, with Republic Act 9344 of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 as amended by Republic Act 10630, Bohol established its own Children In Conflict with the Law (CICL) residential care and rehabilitation facility, so these young offenders can be given another shot in being responsible citizens.

Called the BYH, the facility does not operate as a detention facility but provides residential care and rehabilitation to the CICL.

Established by the Provincial Government of Bohol through Provincial Ordinance No 2018-017, the P69 million facility can accommodate some 30 male and another 30 female residents in separate but identical buildings in Malayo Sur, Cortes, Bohol.

Operated and supervised by the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD) to provide care, rehabilitation, and restorative justice for children who have committed offenses but are below the age and circumstances covered by Philippine juvenile justice laws, BYH provides temporary residential care and protective custody to convicted kids.

But unlike detention facilities, BYH also provides social case management, psychological and behavioral interventions, character-building programs, life skills training, educational and vocational support, family intervention and reintegration services as well as sports and recreation activities.

And to be able to do this, the Provincial Government under Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, who has seen the construction and the completion of the facility that does not have all the furnishings to operate, successfully goaded the legislative council to put in the Provincial Annual Investment Funds, for the furnishings, operations and maintenance, generator set and livelihood training center facilities, sports equipment and personnel who would be implementing the youth rehabilitation programs.

Its goal is to rehabilitate rather than punish children, consistent with the principles of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council and Republic Act No. 9344, as amended, explains Bohol Social Welfare and Development Officer Carmelita Tecson.

Officially opened July 22, 2025 after years of un-use, the BYH has since conducted 15 admission conferences since January to June 2026.

For the young residents, BYH has had 18 Life Skill Sessions on Proper Hygiene, Proper Waste Management, Proper Table Etiquette and Healthy Food Choices, Proper Food Handling, Values Formation and Re-orientation, Gender Orientation, Safety Internet (Proper Use of Social Media), Peer Influence and Making Better Choices, RA 9344, Child’s Rights and Safety Protocols OSAEC-CSAEM Orientation from October 2025 to February 2026.

Themselves young teems, the facility also conducted a session on Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health (ASRH), effects of Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Use, through the Provincial Health Office early this year.

Between May 11 to May 19, BYH also pushed for Life Skill Sessions for the young residents. These include Self Awareness, Understanding Emotions, Anger Management, Restorative Justice, Problem Solving, Decision Making and goal Setting., according to the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and development.

Aside from its formal and non-formal education, the facility also has 4 Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment Sessions for Persons with Substance Use, Disorder Triggers (May 4, 2026), Identifying Internal Triggers (May 11, 2026), Identifying External Triggers (May 13, 2026) and the Roadmap for Recovery (May 21, 2026).

And as the young offenders would be released after serving their sentences, BYH also introduced livelihood and productivity trainings, Medical and Psychological Services, Legal Support Services, Family Visitations, Birthday Celebrations, Sports and Recreation, Spiritual Enhancement and Family and Community Reintegration.

After a year, Bohol Youth Home has manifested its support for the implementation of Republic Act No. 9344 (as amended by RA 10630), Presidential Decree No. 603 or the Department of Social Welfare and Development standards for residential care facilities.

These laws require local governments to establish appropriate interventions for children in conflict with the law that emphasize rehabilitation, reintegration, and protection of children's rights, rather than incarceration.

Without the BYH, CICLs are released and committed to the child's own home, under the care and supervision of parents or guardians, whenever appropriate.

Or, if there is a Youth Detention Home (YDH) established by the local government unit (LGU), the child can be held for a temporary period in the holding facility while their case is being processed.

Or in some cases, when the LGU has not put up its youth home facility, the child offender could be referred to an accredited residential care facility operated by the DSWD or an LGU.

As the law prohibits placing children in regular lockups with adult detainees except under very limited circumstances, and even then they must be kept completely separate from adults, that problem is slowly being addressed in Bohol and the BYH could be what Bohol young offenders need prior to their rejoining the mainstream. (PIAbohol)

REFORMING THE YOUTH. After a year, Bohol Youth Home is now home to 19 young offenders who could not be sent to jails to mix with adult criminals for fear of getting bad influence. OPSWD hopes these 19 would soom come out of the BYH gates, totally reformed and thankful of the local government’s initiative. (PIAbohol)