DSWD seeks P115-M funding for Tagum City boys’ town

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Davao Region (DSWD11) is currently seeking PHP115 million in funding to operate a residential care center for boys in Tagum City, Davao del Norte province.

In an interview Monday, DSWD-11 Protective

Services Division chief, Gemma dela Cruz, said they are seeking help from the provincial and local government units, private entities, and non-government organizations in operating the facility for boys classified as “Children in Situations of Armed Conflict” (CSAC).

The CSAC refers to boys used as combatants, couriers, guides, and spies by terrorist groups and crime syndicates.

Dela Cruz said the funds will be utilized for three years for the professional service of the houseparents and furniture and fixtures.

Completed in 2021 through the Payapa at

Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program, the one-hectare facility provides temporary care for 25 to 30 exploited boys aged 17 years old and below for six months before they are reintegrated into their respective families and communities.

The 30-bed facility is currently inoperable due to a lack of manpower and financial resources following the pandemic crisis.

“We are lobbying for the budget. We already had a meeting last week with Mayor Rey Uy and our Undersecretary for Inclusive and Sustainable Peace Alan Tanjusay,” Dela Cruz said.

She said the mayor committed to maintaining the facility with DSWD-11 personnel visiting the center periodically.

Dela Cruz said the children who were supposed to be at the center are currently housed in different government facilities across several regions in Mindanao. (PNA)