Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for Promotive Programs Ma. Lourdes Turalde-Jarabe today decried what she said were the severe violations against the rights of children arrested last August 31 when members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) dispersed community residents who gathered to resist the demolition of their houses in East Bank Floodway, Pasig.

According to reports, community residents were against the destruction of their houses despite the Pasig local government unit’s promise to provide a relocation site. Residents said that they will have no means of income or livelihood in the proposed relocation site and they will be rendered more impoverished than ever.

During the confrontation between the residents and the police of the Pasig City Police Station, 41 residents and their supporters were arrested. Ten of those arrested were minors, and all 41 face charges of illegal assembly and direct assault.

The 10 minors have since been taken to the Bahay Aruga facility of the Pasig City Social Welfare and Development. Of the 10, eight are within the ages of discernment.

Usec. Turalde-Jarabe and Gabriela Women’s Partylist (GWP) Rep. Arlene Brosas pressed for the release of the 10 minors when they went to the facility yesterday, September 3, but they were not even allowed into the building, much less see the children.

Usec. Turalde-Jarabe was approached by mothers of the arbitrarily detained children who pleaded for her assistance to have their children released.

“It was shocking how Rep. Brosas and I were prohibited from entering Bahay Aruga. We went there in our respective official capacities as government officials who have mandates to protect the welfare of Filipino children. I went there to represent the DSWD whom everyone knows runs its own facilities that care for children who have been exploited, abandoned, or involved in conflict with the law. What I wanted was to see the children and verify for myself, on behalf of the DSWD,  reports that the 10 minors were subjected to physical abuse when they were arrested, and even after they had been turned over to Bahay Aruga,” said Usec. Turalde-Jarabe.

“What I want to verify is the incident of beating at Bahay Aruga,” she stressed.

“The DSWD is also chairing the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC)  which has a regulatory function to conduct spot-checks to ensure that facilities such as the Bahay Aruga follow the standards (see RA 9344 provisions) when there are instances of children being arbitrarily detained under irregular circumstances, or abused. Reports have also reached us that the children are being physically maltreated or beaten up in the comfort rooms away from the CCTV cameras. We want to determine if there is truth to these reports,” she added.

Usec. Turalde-Jarabe has expressed support to the moves of GWP lawmakers in the House of Representatives to file House Resolution 1265 Urging the House Committee on Human Rights to Condemn and Conduct an Investigation, In Aid of Legislation, on the Violent Dispersal by the PNP of the Residents of Manggahan Floodway.

“Contrary to the widespread misconception that the DSWD is directly in charge of minors who have been arrested or detained on issues of vagrancy, it is actually LGUs that are duty-bound to address their immediate welfare. The DSWD, however, steps in when it sees that there is a need to intervene on behalf of the children and their parents. In the case of the 10 minors, the reports point to a serious violation of the provisions of the JJW Act. The children are being arbitrarily detained and their parents continue being denied access to them. The entire experience – from the moment of their arrest and their continued incarceration – is most traumatizing for their children, and it is imperative that the children’s physical, mental, psychological, and emotional status is checked. The parents of the children are also distraught and they have all the right to see their children and determine for themselves the condition of their children. The administration of the Bahay Aruga facility can and should be held responsible for serious administrative lapses and abuses, among them illegal detention,” she said.

Usec. Turalde-Jarabe said that she will continue to press for the release of the 10 minors and their immediate turn over to their parents. #