Bahay Pag-asa Baguio Center: A home built to support and second chances

Inside the Bahay Pag-Asa Baguio Center, a child-caring institution under the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), the work goes beyond providing a temporary place to stay as each day, it runs programs that ensure every child is guided, supported and prepared for a better life once they return to their families.

“Lahat ng ginagawa namin dito ay naka-focus sa welfare ng bata,” Center head Florencita Tul-an said stressing that every child is treated with care and attention.

These programs are the heart of the center and are designed not only to keep the children safe but also to give them skills and support that they may not have received at home.

“Gusto namin maramdaman nila na may nag-aalaga sa kanila, hindi sila nakakulong dito, “ she said.

Bahay Pag-Asa offers seven main programs including a residential care program where it ensures that the child has a safe place to stay with basic needs covered while under home life services, the center handles nutrition with the help of its partner health district in Irisan barangay.

“May doktor kami monthly para macheck sila,” Tul-an disclosed.

Bahay Pag-Asa works closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the Alternative Learning School (ALS) program, especially for children who cannot attend regular school and partners with Baguio City National High School, where teachers come twice a month to help children with tutorials, giving them extra support in their studies.

Another program is the livelihood training where children learn hands-on skills such as baking pandesal, hollow blocks making, and urban gardening. “Para makita nila na kaya nila gumawa ng something productive,” she said.

Everything they earn is shared where 70 percent goes to the child, and 30 percent goes back to the center to keep the livelihood projects running.Basic life skills and development is another program which includes counseling, psychological evaluation, and group sessions about self-awareness, decision-making, anger management and other topics that help children understand themselves better.

The center partners with the court, especially with regional trial court (RTC) branch 2, for psychological services while sports and recreation is also included so children can maintain a balanced routine.

“Kailangan nila ng outlet, hindi puro sessions lang,” Tul-an said.

Bahay Pag-Asa also provides special social services connecting the children to lawyers helping them with the processing of their cases.

Another program is social reintegration where before a child goes back home, the team holds a pre-discharge conference with the case manager and partner agencies. “Tinitingnan namin kung ready na ba siya and kung kumpleto niya yung program,” Tul-an explained.

If the child completes the court-approved program, social workers start preparing the family and community-based social workers receive the child and monitor them for three months, followed by six months of aftercare which helps make sure the child is adjusting well in the community.

This year, Bahay Pag-Asa was recognized as a national winner in the BPA Good Practice Implementation Awards.

“Motivation ito sa amin para mas pagandahin pa yung services,” she said.

The team hopes to continue improving their programs and upgrading their facilities to make the center even more child-friendly because Bahay Pag-Asa is not just a place where children wait for their cases to be processed. It is a center filled with programs shaped to give them guidance, healing and hope.

For the families and communities who welcome them back, the message is clear: there is no such thing as a bad child. – Emmanuel Gonzales, PIO intern / Gaby Keith