Tumulak: ‘Second Chance’ incident alarming

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak has described as “alarming” the escape of residents of Operation Second Chance (OSC) in Barangay Kalunasan Monday night as it was the fourth time in nine months it has happened.

OSC is a facility for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL).

"It's very alarming nga pila na ka higayon nga dunay manglayas, magkagubot ang mga minors diha sa atong Operation Second Chance. Di na ni siya usual (It’s alarming that several incidents of escape and internal conflicts have occurred at Operation Second Chance. That’s not usual)," he said.

He asked the facility’s officer-in-charge, Ambrosio Ibones, to resolve the conflict between the house parents and the residents to "achieve peace and to achieve also the task being given to them, especially in handling minor offenders."

"Dili man ka makaingon nga naa sa bata ang problema. Naa gyud na sa nagda... naa gyud na kay sila may ikaduhang ginikanan (You can’t say that the problem lies with the children. It has to be with the administrators because they are the second parents)," Tumulak said.

He said the City Council actually requested for OSC personnel to undergo training last year but this did not materialize.

"Nagpasar nasad og resolusyon si Councilor Lea Japson, pag-ilis sa OIC head diha sa atoang mga house parents, pero wa gihapoy aksyon (Councilor Lea Japson also filed a resolution to have the OIC head of the house parents replaced but nothing happened)," he said.

"Mahug ni siya’g manmade disaster if, in case, what will happen diha sa Operation Second Chance… in case mahitabo nya’g pagpang-hostage sa atoang mga kabataan dinha o og di ba kaha makagawas na sila dunay dautang buhat, so magproblema gihapon ang syudad (It will be a manmade disaster of sorts if the children in the facility will figure in a hostage situation, for example, or can all escape… that will be a big program for the city)," he added.

Tumulak asked the Department of Social Welfare Services (DSWS) to furnish the City Council a copy of the investigation report on the incident.

"Kana gyung tinud-anay nga investigation so that ma-corrected nato og unsa may mga kasaypanan; og dunay makitang sayop kay di nata gusto nga masubli pa ni (It has to be an honest to goodness investigation so that we can correct shortcomings. We don’t have to repeat failures in the system)," Tumulak said.

He said the investigation should be undertaken as soon as possible.

More Cops

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is now considering seriously of assigning more men at the vicinity of OSC.

The police had considered doing so in the past but this did not happen owing to other priorities on the part of the PNP.

"Pero karon, tungod karon sa panghitabo, usa sa tan-awon karon namo sa city director nga ibalik tong augmentation sa police didto sa second chance (Because of what happened, one of the things we’re looking at with the city director is putting the augmentation force back at second chance)," said Lt. Col. Melvin Esguerra, deputy director for administration at CCPO.

Esguerra said they have already reached out to the parents of the three residents who are still missing and have traced possible areas where they would go to.

Five residents escaped Monday but authorities caught after two of them on the same night in Barangay Mabolo and Barangay Duljo.  JMO (FREEMAN)