BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan urged children-in-conflict with the law (CICLs) to start reforming themselves to be able to contribute in the sustainable growth of the city by being productive citizens of the community instead of being problems of the concerned government agencies and offices.
The outgoing local chief executive said that the mere fact that concerned government agencies and the local government are trying to look after the welfare of CICLs through various activities that will try to help in reforming them as an indication that people love them and that they care for their success in whatever their desired endeavour, thus, they should not be a burden to the society by cre4ating problems in their own families and the communities where they belong or the city as a whole.
“The programs and projects that were crafted by the City Social Welfare and Development Office primarily geared towards catering to the needs of our children-in-conflict of the law shows how we care for you and how we value your presence in the community. You should use our interventions as your inspiration to reform for the better instead of being a problem in your communities,” Domogan told the recipients of a recent gift-giving to CICLs spearheaded by the Baguio-based Filipino-Chinese community.
He underscored that the recent gift-giving and other activities lined up for the benefit of CICLs only show that people love them and that they want them to reform themselves to become productive citizens of the city because they have a bright future ahead once they start changing their way of life and embrace their own families.
According to him, CICL should also start thinking of pursuing their education because it is the best inheritance that parents and guardians could given them as it could be used to improving not only their living condition but also the present state of their families.
Domogan also urged parents of CICLs to continue showing their love and compassion for their children to help convince them to realize that what they have done is wrong and that they should start reforming themselves to become better residents of the communities where they belong.
He added parents and guardians still play a key role in changing the mind-set of the CICLs for them to be able to go back to the folds of the mainstream society instead of being exposed to extreme danger with their lawless activities that tend to compromise their overall welfare and safety.
He expressed the gratitude of the local government to those who continue to provide the needed support to the programs, projects and activities which were crafted by the city Social Welfare and Development Office to help in bringing back CICLs to the mainstream society, saying that their overall contributions cannot be quantified, especially in the reformation of the CICls, thus, the same support must be extended to more people for the benefit of improving the perception of the CICLs on the real essence of a child-friendly society.
The Social Development Center of the local government continues to cater to the needs of CICLs who come from the different barangays of the city for them to be able to be reformed and become productive members of the society and lessen the presence of CICLs around the city.
By Dexter A. See