The two minors involved in the Tacloban City school shooting are receiving intensive, individualized care at a government-run rehabilitation center as authorities continue evaluating their condition, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday, July 2.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Ada Colico said the minors are under the care of a DSWD-managed Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY), where they are receiving closely monitored interventions tailored to their needs.

“’Yung dalawa pong bata, may separate room po sila, hindi sila humalo doon sa iba pang residents ng RRCY. Mayroon silang exclusive na house parent and exclusive psychologist na talagang nakatutok sa kanila, regularly silang kinakausap, even yung case manager nila na social worker. So intensive ang kanilang intervention (The two children have separate rooms and are not mixed with the other residents of the RRCY. They each have an exclusive house parent and an exclusive psychologist focused on them, who speak with them regularly, along with a social worker serving as their case manager. Their intervention is intensive),” Colico said.

The DSWD official also said the minors remain under restricted movement while undergoing psychological assessment and have not yet been allowed to communicate with their parents.

She said the Department could not yet say when family visits would be allowed, as decisions will depend on recommendations from psychologists and social workers based on the children's condition.

According to Colico, each child has an individualized intervention plan that outlines therapeutic activities, rehabilitation measures, and medical needs, with the timeline for each stage determined by continuous professional evaluation.

“Isa sa crucial part ng rehabilitation ng bata is yung participation ng family, kasi itong support na ito ay importante in rehabilitating yung ating mga CICL. Ito po ay tinatawag nating holistic approach at total family approach (One crucial part of a child's rehabilitation is the participation of the family because that support is important in rehabilitating children in conflict with the law. This is what we call a holistic and total family approach),” she said.

“‘Yung atin pong mga psychologist, marami po tayong tests na ginagawa sa mga bata. Ito po yung nagiging basehan ng ating mga social workers, multidisciplinary people, nag-uusap-usap para kung puwede na ba talaga itong batang ito to be integrated sa community or talagang rehabilitated na siya (Our psychologists conduct many tests on the children. These serve as the basis for our social workers and multidisciplinary team to determine whether the child can already be reintegrated into the community or has truly been rehabilitated),” she added.