Yuris’ Bar, Tuguegarao City.

The sound of plates and utensils, the aroma of food being cooked that seeps through the entire walls of the bar, the klieg lights and the soft humdrum of music played come dinner time….

For him, this has been the daily grind that fuels him to get up in the morning to work and the place has  become his new sanctuary. It is in this place that he found new friends, renewed his faith and believed that a new dawn has come.

Back in the days, his home is the Cagayan Valley Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (CV-RRCY or Center), his friends are his co-residents at the center, and he looked up to the staff of the center as his siblings and mentors. Even then, he was sure that his stay in the center was temporary, that he will join the outside world renewed and his self-confidence and self-respect intact again. This is because the Center made him believed this way.

The circumstances on July 26, 2011 led him to the Center. He was a minor who got in conflict with the law and charged with carnapping, the harrowing memories of which he chose to forget but the lessons  learned he valued up to this date.

He heaved a sigh of relief when the Honorable Court of RTC Branch 4, Tuguegarao City   ordered for his admission to the Center instead of putting him behind bars. The mere thought of him locked in a prison cell for several years or even his lifetime brought sleepless nights and bad dreams. He shivered when he was ushered to the court room for the reading of the accusation against him. He regretted the day he got involved with the wrong peers.

While he evaded the cold prison bars and the walled community, he still has apprehensions about the Center. His consolation then was the court pronouncement that he needs rehabilitation, hence, he thought that the Center would have a semblance of a home.

Indeed, the Center provided him a roof to stay under, warm blanket during the cold months and   the family that he longed to be with during his ordeal.

At the Center, adjustment came easy for him. He   developed self-control. He was also encouraged to participate in the different group sessions, group dynamics, socialization programs, sport activities and recreational activities where he freely expressed his feelings and developed self-confidence. His stay in the center was a great opportunity for him to undergo rehabilitation activities and he really wanted to reform his negative ways. He was challenged to perform better and moved forward so he could attain his dreams and ambitions in life.

With his positive attitude and behavior, he was chosen as one of the residents to   participate in   the implementation of Pilot Strategy on Transitional Living for Effective Reintegration (TransFER).

Furthermore, series of counseling sessions had been undertaken to help him prepare for his reintegration with his family and the community. On April 11, 2012, the Center received a court order dated March 29, 2012 allowing him to undergo the said  TransFER program. Immediately, he started his TransFER and he successfully complied with his transition plans for 3 months. After the 3-month transition period, the DSWD submitted a final report recommending the dismissal of his case.

At present, he is living alone because he wanted to be independent although his parents are willing and capable enough to take good care of him. His   present work   as a bartender and waiter  where he earns  two hundred fifty pesos a day provides for his basic needs.

He enthused, “I will always be grateful to DSWD particularly to the staff at the Center for giving me a second shot at life. Because of them, I did not falter in my desire to be a better person not only for my future’s sake but more importantly, for the sake of my family.”

The technical knowledge and skills he gained from his trainings in TESDA helped him find work and regained the self-esteem that was once lost when he went astray.

These  interventions provided to him were part of the  mandate of the DSWD pursuant to Republic Act 9344 as amended by Republic Act 10630 otherwise known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

This law seeks to establish a better restorative juvenile justice system in the country for the promotion and protection of the welfare of children at risk and children in conflict with the law.

In this revised law, the specific treatment, process and intervention program to be administered  to children who committed a crime but cannot be criminally charged is made clear in order to ensure that the children are made aware of their accountability. It emphasized that, children in conflict with the law, are oftentimes the victims of circumstances, hence, they should not be looked upon with contempt or anger.

As in his case, he was received at the Center with understanding and compassion. Now, he is no longer a child in conflict with the law, but a responsible taxpayer who hopes to make his life better for his family.

He is Reynald from Tuguegarao City.

### By: CAGAYAN VALLEY REGIONAL REHABILITATION CENTER FOR THE YOUTH, GELA FLOR R. PEREZ, Regional Information Officer II