CORTES, BOHOL — For children who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, a mistake can easily become a label that follows them for life.
But in Bohol, the provincial government is taking a different approach.
The Bohol Youth Home (BYH) in Cortes was established as a residential care and rehabilitation facility for children in conflict with the law (CICL)—offering structured intervention, education, psychosocial support and family reintegration instead of placing children in ordinary detention facilities.
The facility, which formally opened on July 22, 2025, was established pursuant to the Philippines’ juvenile justice framework, particularly Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, as amended by RA 10630.
The distinction is important: the Bohol Youth Home is not simply another detention center.
Its purpose is to help children address the circumstances that contributed to their involvement with the law while preparing them to return to their families and communities.
A P69-million facility built for rehabilitation
According to the Philippine Information Agency, the provincial government invested P69 million in the facility, which has separate buildings capable of accommodating 30 male and 30 female residents. The Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development supervises and operates the center.
Earlier reports following its inauguration in July 2025 described the facility as Bohol’s first purpose-built home for CICLs and said it was ready to begin accepting residents. Manila Bulletin likewise reported that the facility was designed to provide temporary shelter and rehabilitation programs for children in conflict with the law.
The provincial government also allocated funds for the facility’s furnishings, operations and maintenance, personnel, livelihood-training facilities, sports equipment and other requirements.
What happens inside the Youth Home?
The programs go beyond simply keeping children away from jail.
According to PIA, residents undergo social case management, psychological and behavioral interventions, character-building activities, life-skills training, educational and vocational assistance, family interventions and reintegration programs.
Life-skills sessions cover practical and developmental subjects such as hygiene, waste management, food handling, values formation, gender orientation, internet safety, decision-making and children’s rights.
The residents are also educated about their rights under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.
The Provincial Health Office provides sessions on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and discusses the risks associated with smoking, alcohol and drug use. Children dealing with substance-use concerns may also undergo a Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment program focusing on triggers and recovery planning.
Other services include medical and psychological care, legal assistance, livelihood and productivity training, family visitation, sports and recreation, spiritual activities and assistance in returning to family and community life.
What Philippine law actually says about children who commit offenses
The existence of facilities such as the Bohol Youth Home is rooted in a broader principle under Philippine law: children who come into conflict with the law must be handled differently from adult offenders.
Under RA 9344, a child 15 years old or below at the time of the offense is exempt from criminal liability but must undergo an appropriate intervention program.
For those above 15 but below 18, the law likewise provides exemption from criminal liability unless the child acted with discernment, in which case the appropriate proceedings under the juvenile justice system apply.
Importantly, exemption from criminal liability does not mean that nothing happens.
The law provides for intervention, diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration measures, depending on the child’s age, circumstances and assessment.
RA 10630 also provides that a child 15 or below who comes into custody should generally be released to a parent, guardian or nearest relative and placed under an intervention program. When the child’s best interests require it, however, the child may be referred to a youth care facility or Bahay Pag-asa managed by an LGU or an accredited organization.
Why the distinction matters
The law specifically seeks to prevent children from simply being treated like adult prisoners.
RA 9344 states that children in conflict with the law should be dealt with through a system covering prevention, intervention, diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration. It also provides protections concerning their treatment during investigation and custody.
That means the goal is not merely to remove a young offender from the community.
The larger objective is to address the behavior, provide appropriate intervention and eventually help the child return to society without repeating the same cycle.
For Bohol, the Youth Home provides the province with a dedicated facility through which that philosophy can be put into practice.
A facility—and a bigger challenge
The opening of the Bohol Youth Home is an important step, but rehabilitation does not end when a child leaves the facility.
Family support, education, livelihood opportunities, community acceptance and continued social-work intervention can determine whether a child successfully reintegrates—or eventually finds himself or herself back in conflict with the law.
That is why the work happening inside the facility is only one part of the bigger picture.
For every child who enters the system, there is a case to resolve—but there is also a future to rebuild.
And perhaps that is the real test for Bohol’s Youth Home:
Can a place designed to keep children away from jail also give them enough support to make sure they never have to return to the justice system again?
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