EDITORIAL - Operation Nth Chance

Nine children in conflict with the law bolted from the Operation Second Chance in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City, while trash was being picked up from the facility for juvenile offenders last Wednesday morning.

Six of them were later picked up by authorities while three are still on the loose as of the writing of this editorial.

If this seems familiar, this is because this isn’t the first time it happened, or the second time, or the third time, or the fourth time for that matter. The last time was last January 11 where 17 escaped and the one before that happened in April of last year when 20 escaped by merely rushing past the gate.

We will no longer mention the previous incidents since it might take up a huge space.

Unlike previous incidents, this one seems to have gotten the attention of Mayor Michael Rama who said he is directing city administrator Collin Rossell and Councilor Philip Zafra, chairman of the City Council’s Peace and Order Committee to “take over” the facility. 

They are also mulling letting the cops handle the facility, which may be a good idea.

Juveniles are still not completely aware of the consequences of their actions which is why we don’t believe they are hardened individuals who want to leave the facility so they can go back to a life of crime. There must be something happening --or not happening-- at the facility that led them to do this.

While boredom has been cited as one reason why patients decide to leave the facility, there must be something wrong with how the place is being run to lead them to such desperate measures.

Authorities better mean it when they say things will change. Of course they can always leave things as they are, and continue to watch as juvenile offenders come in and out of the facility, by out we mean running past the gate, climbing up the fence, or sneaking out through other exits.

As we said before, any juvenile offender who doesn’t turn to the straight and narrow path always has the propensity to become a future criminal. And we certainly don’t need any more of those.