SENATOR Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan underscored the need for additional resources to construct more Bahay Pag-asa Youth Centers—transformational facilities for children in conflict with the law—and to fully implement the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act.

Speaking during the Bantay Bata – The Filipino Child: National Dialogue on Child Protection, Pangilinan said the Senate has added P200 million to the budget of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Council under the Department of Social Welfare and Development for fiscal year 2026.

This brings the Council’s additional funding to P275 million, which will establish five regional Bahay Pag-asa centers with capacities ranging from 50 to 150 beds.

Pangilinan, author of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act and chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said the new centers will be able to house around 500 children annually, depending on the intervention programs they participate in.

“Dapat talaga full implementation — suportahan, bigyan ng sapat na budget,” he said, noting challenges in implementing the law, such as the lack of facilities and social workers.

“So ang tamang direksyon ay additional resources — hindi amyendahan ang batas, kundi pondohan ito at ma-implement nang tama hanggang municipal level,” he added.

The additional funding will also support training for more social workers to strengthen the implementation of the law’s programs.

Under the law, the DSWD is mandated to provide counseling to the children.