CEBU CITY—Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has directed Operation Second Chance officials to recover the remaining escaped child-in-conflict with the law (CICL) or they would face sanctions.
“They really have to find ways to recover (the escaped CICL). There’s a provision in the Revised Penal Code on infidelity in the custody of prisoners,” Labella said in an interview.
Article 224, Section One of the Revised Penal Code states, “If the evasion of the prisoner shall have taken place through the negligence of the officer charged with the conveyance or custody of the escaping prisoner, said officer shall suffer penalties of aresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period and temporary special disqualification.”
The duration of penalty for aresto mayor ranges from one month and one day to six months while that of prision correccional ranges from six months and one day to six years.
On the other hand, Article 225 states that ‘any private person to whom the conveyance or custody of a prisoner or person under arrest’ commit a similar offense would face penalty next lower in degree than that prescribed for the public officer.
“I will give them a chance to let them recapture (the remaining escaped CICL). They really have to shape up,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jeffrey Ibonez, head of the Department of Social Welfare and Services, noted that Operations Second Chance, which has around 90 CICLs in custody, only have three guards working in three shifts and three house parents per shift.
While the center has activities for the minors through the non-government organizations, the children still need to have the support from their families, Ibonez told CDN Digital in a phone interview.
He added that they have been encouraging the parents of the CICLs to visit their children.
However, some CICLs don’t get visits from their parents while other parents have been detained in jails, too, Ibonez pointed out.
To recall, 11 CICLs, who are mostly involved in illegal drugs cases, escaped from the facility Friday afternoon, October 4, 2019. So far, only five of them have yet to be recovered. /bmjo