DSWD-7 transfers 5 IP kids to DSWD center in Region 12

Five of the indigenous people children, who are under the care of the Department of Social Welfare in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) after their rescue last March, have been transferred to the DSWD center in Region 12.  | CDN Digital file photo

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — The five Indigenous People (IP) Children, who were under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7)-run facility in Cebu City, were now transferred to DSWD Center in Region 12 or in Socksargen Region in Southern Mindanao.

In a press statement, the agency said that they had facilitated the transfer of these IP children on April 10, Saturday.

It said that when the transfer happened, the IP children were accompanied by social workers and their house parents.

To recall, the IP children were rescued by the local government of Cebu City in February this year.

“The transfer of the children to the DSWD run-facility in Region XII was agreed upon during a meeting on March 1 in Cebu City with the children’s parents, representatives of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Lebak and Colombio, Sultan Kudarat, and DSWD-FO VII. This would make the children nearer to their parents who live in Sultan Kudarat,” the statement read.

They also agreed that the IP children should undergo further psycho-social processing and be provided with appropriate recovery and healing activities.

The local government unit (LGUs) of Lebak and Colombio will also provide livelihood support to the children’s families and look for a safer place for them to live in.

/dbs

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