The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) visited Camp Montible at Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan to explore the possibility of establishing an agricultural camp for children in conflict with the law (CICL).
DSWD Undersecretary for International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said the inspection of the proposed agricultural camp on April 26 will help to protect and uphold the rights of CICL.
“This agri camp is a big step toward helping the CICL live the rest of their lives being fulfilled and productive individuals. I hope that everyone will see that there is so much hope for the CICL and that everyone will have compassion for them because these children are victims themselves,” Villar said.
An agri camp is a facility where children convicted of a criminal offense can serve their sentences rather than being imprisoned in a regular penal institution, as required by Section 51 of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) as amended and Rule 199 of Presidential Decree 603, also known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code of 1974.
DSWD said the 150-hectare agricultural land in Camp Montible is ideal for agricultural activities, eco-tourism, and rehabilitation and reintegration programs for CICLs serving their sentences.
“The physical environment plays a significant role in the healing and successful rehabilitation of a CICL. Thus, the agri camp design resembles a community set-up where the CICL could engage in economic, social, and capacity-building activities for their continued development and rehabilitation,” JJWC Executive Director Tricia Clare Oco said.
Camp Montible is the second proposed pilot area for an agricultural camp in Luzon.
On April 24, representatives from the DSWD, JJWC, Bureau of Corrections, and Pampanga State University signed a memorandum of agreement for the first pilot agri camp in Pampanga.