NegOcc tops juvenile cases
The province of Negros Occidental posted the highest cases of Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) registering to 340. It is 54 percent of the total number of cases committed by minors in the entire region.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Regional Director Teresita Rosales said Western Visayas has 636 CICL cases. Of the five provinces, Negros Occidental has the highest registered CICL cases while Capiz has the least number of cases.
From 2006 to date, Iloilo province ranked second with 161 CICL cases; Aklan 59; Antique 35; Capiz 26 and Guimaras with 15. Of the 636 cases, 175 cases are thefts.
Rosales did not elaborate more details on why Negros Occidental posted the highest number of CICL cases and the contributory factors that prompted the minors to commit such offense. The offense includes heinous crimes like murder.
Meanwhile, Rosales said there are 33 convicted minors that are housed in the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth (RRCY) in Guimaras. They are convicted of various crimes.
The RRCY serves as the formation house and same time detention cell for the minors already convicted of the crimes. One of the minors who spent time in the RRCY was already transferred to the National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa.
The minor was convicted for murdering a teacher in Roxas City. Details of the crime and the convict's are withheld considering he was a minor at the time he committed the offense. The minor was transferred to Muntinlupa after reaching legal age.