“Handa akong baguhin ang aking (hin)di magandang ginagawa. Magbabago ako para sa aking sarili at sa aking pamilya.” – Nonoy (excerpt from the Nonoy video entry)
The gift of second chance. This has been what Nonoy, a 15-year-old boy who was implicated in a buy-bust operation, held on for him to put the past mistakes behind and hope for a better tomorrow. He was charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which was later dismissed due to insufficiency of evidence.
Nonoy was recommended to undergo a community-based intervention program to help him reintegrate with his community, Barangay Zamora-Melliza, Iloilo City.
Through its Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), Barangay Zamora-Melliza established the Team Kabataang Zamora-Melliza Ayos (KAZAMA) Ka! which aims to help children at risk (CAR) and children in conflict with the law (CICL), like Nonoy, through positive peer reinforcement. They let CAR and CICL engage in physical activities particularly in sports through the partnership with Zamora-Melliza Baseball Club, and use baseball as one of their community-based programs.
The program was an entry to the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council’s (JJWC’s) Good Practice Participatory Video Documentation Contest. The innovativeness and responsiveness of the program made it stand out and won the 1st place award during the Virtual Awarding Ceremony.
“In our barangay, we always prioritize the welfare and development of our children. Because we believe that every child has a capacity to do good and make a difference in our society”, said Barangay Council for the Protection of Children Secretary Yuri P. Villanueva.
The contest aimed to recognize responsive, innovative, and sustainable practices and programs of local government units (LGUs). It sought to highlight the good practices of barangay level LGUs and duty bearers in implementing the JJWA, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the new normal.
Among the 14 official entries, the entries Dumlog Lacas of Barangay Dumlog, Talisay City and Manggad/Yaman of Barangay Cabanbanan, Oton, Iloilo City got second and third place respectively and consolation prizes were given to Barangay Baldoza, Iloilo City for their entry ‘Paglaum’ and Barangay Mina, Iloilo City for their entry ‘Nadine’.
Meanwhile, Manggad/Yaman received the Audience Choice award and Paglaum bagged the Best Production and Editing award.
JJWC Executive Director Atty. Tricia Clare A. Oco, on her message during the virtual awarding ceremony, congratulated and thanked the participating LGUs for sharing their stories despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.
“JJWC is very proud of your entries especially your respective initiatives. We know that this past one and a half year had been a challenging feat, but despite this, you all tried your best to ensure that the rights and welfare of children are protected and promoted, especially during this very uncertain time”, Atty. Oco added.
The Virtual Awarding Ceremony for the Good Practice Participatory Video Documentation Contest held last July 21, 2021, was the culminating activity for the 15th JJWA Anniversary.
