Insp. Eve Valentine Senining, deputy jail warden of Operation Second Chance, oversees the distribution of goods donated by the IBP-Cebu City chapter and other donors. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
It may be more than two weeks away, yet Christmas isn’t too early for 200 children confined at the Operation Second Chance facility in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.
The Operation Second Chance Center, which can be reached through steep and winding roads beyond the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and the Cebu City jail, houses children in conflict with the law.
The children helped carry boxes of donations from the main lobby to the covered court where the Christmas party initiated by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)–Cebu City chapter was to be held.
They beamed after seeing the judges and lawyers gather to watch their presentation, their excitement palpable as they waited for the signal from their program hosts to start their performance.
And a fine performance they had as a girl charmed the audience of lawyers and judges with her rendition of the Christmas classic “O Holy Night.”
Her angelic voice was accompanied by a group of beatboxing boys.
They were followed by a group who performed their own song while another gave a rap performance.
Among those who watched were lawyers who met and helped them along the way as well as judges who ruled on their cases.
IBP–Cebu City President Hidelito Pascual said it was a chance to give back to the children who have been victims of circumstance, of poverty, family problems, violence and abuse.
Pascual called on parents to spend more time with their children, to nurture their gifts and to keep them out of trouble and out of the reach of people who can lead them astray and land them in jail.
Pascual said the IBP–Cebu City’s annual Christmas party at Operation Second Chance is a tradition that started way back in 2007.
Every year, they give the children inside the facility gifts that they could use.
Insp. Eve Valentine Senining, deputy jail warden of Operation Second Chance, oversees the distribution of goods donated by the IBP-Cebu City chapter and other donors. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Pascual said they donated towels and blankets to protect the children from the cold caused by the rainy season.
Hotel chains like Radisson Blu and Crimson Resort and Spa donated the blankets and slippers which the IBP–Cebu City distributed to the children.
Among the grateful recipients was Mikoy who said he couldn’t believe there are still people who cared enough to give them something.
“Malipayon mi nga bisan nakasa mi didto sa gawas, wa mi nag-expect nga wala gyud diay mi pasagdi sa mga tawo didto sa gawas. Nagtuo mi nga ilang pagtan-aw sa amo pareha gihapon sa una, lahi na karon diay (We are happy that even though we made mistakes, there are still people out there who care. We thought that they would see us just the way we were, but it’s different now),” he said.
Though he wished that they also received toiletries from their donors since they are quite scarce inside the facility.
Social welfare officer Jenny Zamora agreed, saying the children use the toiletries daily.
The center houses 200 children in conflict with the law, composed of 179 boys and 21 girls occupying segregated cells.
This month, Zamora said they are expecting more visitors in the facility.
Mikoy and the rest of the children in conflict with the law could only hope so, if only to have more cheer and gifts, like toiletries, in this season of giving.