The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will develop a more comprehensive intervention plan for the two minors involved in the fatal shooting incident in Tacloban City, Leyte, Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Thursday.
He said the agency would go beyond standard interventions for children in conflict with the law, citing the unusual and serious nature of the case.
“Right now kasi yung interventions na ginagawa sa kanila are what’s in our textbook, meaning kung ano yung prescribed lamang. Pero syempre dahil kakaiba nga itong kaso na ito, we will treat them differently in the sense na mas malubha o mas mabigat yung kailangan na intervention,” Gatchalian told reporters at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City.
He said the agency is waiting for the full psychological report before finalizing the intervention plan for the 15-year-old and 14-year-old children in conflict with the law (CICL).
The two minors are currently under the custody of the DSWD’s Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth. The DSWD chief said they have been separated from each other and from the facility’s general population upon the recommendation of child psychologists and other experts.
“Nakahiwalay sila, hindi sila nakakapag-usap, hindi rin sila isinasama sa general population because child psychologists, mga eksperto, ang sinasabi sa amin ay kailangan nakabukod sila,” he said. “It’s for their own well-being and the well-being of the other clients in the facility.”
He noted that the minors are being monitored by special child psychologists, social workers, and houseparents assigned to assist them while they remain in government custody.
Based on the DSWD’s initial assessment, several risk factors may have contributed to the incident, including possible exposure to online violence, school bullying, and issues within the family environment.
He said the agency is also conducting a family assessment to determine whether neglect, abuse, or other lapses at home may have played a role.
“Kami naniniwala kami that discipline, the well-being of the child should start at home. In this case, we are also doing a family assessment kung napabayaan ba itong mga kabataang ito, may neglect ba na anggulo, may pang-aabuso ba na anggulo,” he said.
He said parents may also be held accountable if the assessment finds evidence of abuse, neglect, or other failures in caring for the children.
Gatchalian said the Tacloban case is the first reported incident of its kind in the country, prompting the DSWD to work closely with the Ateneo School of Psychology for a comprehensive assessment of the minors.
The assessment, he said, will help the agency craft an intervention plan that responds to the children’s specific psychosocial needs and risk factors.
“Ang instruction ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is to make sure na, una, maresolba natin ito nang maayos,” he stressed. “We make sure na yung kailangan na mga interbensyon… angkop at tama ay gagawin namin.”