“I enjoyed the feeling of leading a gang wherein the rules are my words” says 16-year old Vincent, a former child in conflict with the law (CICL).
Vince, as he is fondly called, is a natural leader, smart, and articulate but has total disregard for tact, patience, and in choosing friends.
Vince organized an all-male “gang” he can command and lead. Little did he know that the members he recruited deviated from their “all male rule” and began accepting girls to be initiated. It was during an initiation rite that a female recruit cried “foul” accusing Vince’s group of molestation, dragging his name, being the gang leader. Eight boys including Vince were apprehended. The cold cuffs on his wrist magnified his fear of being locked up for life.
The few days that he stayed in the local jail was like a lifetime for him. His only source of hope was the thought that he did not take part in any initiation nor was a party to any lewd act against the complainant. Yet fear still gripped the once bold youth, who thought he could own the world. “I still have dreams, so many things I want to do, places to go,” said Vince.
Upon the assessment of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on the case of Vince, it was established that he did not plan the incident. The Department, however, recommended that Vince needs to go through rehabilitation instead of punishment in jail.
The Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) of the DSWD in Argao, Cebu became Vince’s home for more than two years. The RRCY is a twenty-four residential center for the rehabilitation of youth offenders below 18 years old whose sentences have been suspended.
In 2012, a total of 55 CICL were released from the center, which provides medical, psychological and at times psychiatric; group living services such as non-formal and income generating activities; special and non-formal education in coordination with DepEd which provides formal and remedial classes as well as vocational training.
In a reversal of fate, Vince had to follow the rules at the center. Like an obedient son, he performed all the tasks required that included trainings on life skills such as gardening, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and most of all mentoring his fellow CICL. He helped and counselled youth who wished to escape to complete the rehabilitation program. Seeing them rehabilitated was an achievement. This gave him the determination to change.” I want to go back to the community and be an example for other youth,” he recounted.
From being a part of a gang who cuts classes and leads initiation rites, he became part of a band that gives out music as an inspiration.The RRCY has musical instruments that can be used by CICL as part of their rehabilitation. Vince learned to play the guitar. He then organized his fellow CICL who know how to play musical instruments and formed an “all-male” band which is a far-cry from his former group of an “all-male gang.” Today, even if he is already out of the center, he still plays for the youth at the center. He even sometimes teaches the youth how to play musical instruments. Almost four years passed since he got rehabilitated and in less than six months he will soon earn his degree in Information Systems in one of the country’s major universities.
It was a not a walk in the park for Vince, though. Like all accused,he was angry and determined not to cooperate. But most of all he was afraid and he manifested this fearthrough regular brawls with the other youth in the center. “I realized that the more I do not cooperate, the more I would not be able to go home,” he quipped. He then started to accept his fate and obediently followed the rehabilitation plan that the center developed for him.
“If I was not able to receive the DSWD intervention as mandated by RA 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, I might still be serving my sentence in jail with no hope for a second chance,” said Vince.
Republic Act 9344
RA 9344 mandates that children in conflict with the law are provided with intervention programs instead of being thrown into jail. These intervention programsaimed at helping the child and the family may include any or a combination of the following:peer counselling and life skills training and education; provision of support services to the family, referral to other agencies for appropriate services, and access to child and youth organization in the community.
DSWD Centers
As mandated under RA 9344 to provide center-based rehabilitation for CICL, the DSWD has 14 RRCYs nationwide and a National Training School for Boys in Tanay, Rizal. The RRCY and the NTSB are mandated to rehabilitate children in conflict with the law, 15 years old and below 18, to enable them to reform and restore their normal social functioning.
In 2012, there were 1,378 CICL who were under rehabilitation at the RRCYs and at the NTSB.
Lessons Learned
Vince enthused, “Now, I advocate and practice the lessons I learned the hard way. Humility was my greatest challenge and it is now something I practice on a day to day basis. I cannot undo what has happened, but I can definitely make a difference today and tomorrow.”
Proud as he used to be, he is humble enough to accept that he is a rehabilitated child in conflict with the law. Active in his school and community, he has once again made his parents proud. ###
