Senatorial candidate Herbert “Bistek” Bautista on Tuesday urged the government to build more reform centers for children in conflict with the law as part of a review of the existing juvenile justice law.

Bautista noted it has been two decades since the law had been enacted and it is “time we review it.”

“Let’s look at what is appropriate based on experience,” said Bautista, a former Quezon City mayor.

“Bahay Pag-asa is a reformative institution for children in conflict with the law...In my view, the government must invest in building Bahay Pag-asa nationwide,” the aspiring lawmaker said.

Bautista recalled that under his watch, the Quezon City government’s approach on dealing juvenile crimes was different from the usual punitive view in dealign with youth offenders.

As local chief executive, he required local government units (LGUs) to build reform centers, regarded as Bahay Pag-asa or House of Hope.

“If needed, every province, every municipality should have a Bahay Pag-asa,” Bautista stressed.

“That’s what we can do so when the youth leave, they’re reformed already at the same time they have learned skills,” Bautista said.

He said these reformative institutions would have to include skills training and financial literacy programs, among others.

But alongside the reform-oriented approach to juvenile crimes, Bautista said it is imperative to also conduct training programs for the children’s parents.

In Quezon City, Bautista said parents of children in conflict with the law were given skills training and capital to start their businesses if they have no jobs yet.

“As soon as the children are capable of returning to mainstream society already, they would even be part of economic growth and a decline in peace and order problems,” Bautista said.

“This is my experience in Quezon City...I think we can do this nationwide,” he emphasized.