Pinagpapaliwanag na ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) ang Gentle Hands orphanage sa Quezon City, kaugnay sa mga paglabag na nakita ng pamahalaan sa ginawa nitong spot check.
“Ano ang mangyayari doon sa institution if they don’t get to correct the issues. Then, we have to go through the accreditation and the licensing issues. But for now, the main goal is to protect the children.” — Secretary Rex Gatchalian
Kabilang na ang pagiging overpopulated ng pasilidad.
“Ventilation was an issue, kasi ang nangyari dito, they over capacitated the orphanage, it’s a privately run orphanage, 80 lang ang rating niya but they are running at a 149 or 150 plus, 149 actually to be exact.” — Secretary Gatchalian
Kabilang rin ang selyadong fire exits at kawalan ng house parent o social workers sa pasilidad.
“The hygiene or the living standards are not to the standards of the department. And then four, more peculiarly, sa akin po and this is what I saw when I walked in, kasi there was a security guard, our social workers introduced themselves. We are social workers, kasi di ba sa spot check rules, dapat may social worker na kasama, usually I’m not one. But you are deputized na sumama with the social worker.” —Secretary Gatchalian
Sa press briefing sa Malacañan, sinabi ni DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian na sa kasalukuyan, inililipat na ang 149 na bata sa pasilidad ng DSWD, kahit pa 20 araw ang ibinigay na palugit ng pamahalaan sa orphanage upang magpaliwanag at ayusin ang mga nakitang paglabag ng pasilidad. | ulat ni Racquel Bayan