Margot: BJMP pull out from OSC anticipated

CEBU, Philippines - One of the founders of Operation Second Chance has already anticipated the pull out of security personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology from the facility for juvenile delinquents in Cebu City.

Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña said a manual of operations has been drafted in 2007 yet in preparation for the eventual turnover of the facility to the city government.

 “BJMP is primarily involved in the security, but the program implementation is being done by the social workers and by the house parents, who are employed by the city,” said Osmeña.

The detailed cost of care and maintenance was also stipulated in the manual of operations if the city government would take over the whole facility, stating about P12 million as proposed total amount of the cost.

“Operations Second Chance, we’re very proud of because it was the first of this kind in the whole country. It might not be the only one of its kind now, but when we operated it, it was the first of its kind,” Osmeña said, adding that the city government needed not the law to implement such project.

She said that the city government should now take measures in anticipation of the turnover.

OSC has started its construction in 1998 and was fully operational in 2002. Osmeña said that the land was donated by the provincial government and the fund was raised from donations.

OSC is located in Barangay Kalunasan, with at least 200 minors.— (FREEMAN)