Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon has signed into law an ordinance creating Bahay Pag-asa Muntinlupa City, a 24-hour facility intended to support the rehabilitation, care, and protection of children in conflict with the law.
Passed by the City Council, Muntinlupa Ordinance No. 2026-133 formally sets up the juvenile justice welfare and rehabilitation facility while defining operational guidelines, administrative roles, and standard procedures.
Managed directly by the local government’s Social Services Department, the facility will serve as a short-term residential shelter for minors awaiting judicial rulings, inter-agency transfers, or jurisdictional turnover.
According to the measure, the center aims to execute comprehensive intervention initiatives “under a structured therapeutic environment with the end view of reintegrating them into their families and communities as socially functioning individuals.”
City authorities noted that residents will experience restricted mobility while their legal matters remain ongoing before the courts.
The facility’s protective framework aligns with Muntinlupa Ordinance 2024-280, also known as the City Child Protection Policy Ordinance. Under this policy, the center must draft its own institutional guidelines protecting minors under 15, as well as those aged 15 to 18:
“who have been charged in court or are undergoing trial for the commission of a crime, and are currently under the rehabilitation and diversion program of the SSD through Bahay Pag-asa, or are otherwise undergoing a community intervention program.”
Bahay Pag-asa will accept minors involved in local offenses, youths referred by family members or barangay leaders, individuals requiring substance abuse treatment, and cases turned over by partner institutions. Court-committed individuals aged 18 to 21 who remain legally classified as minors will also be accommodated.
Designed to offer residents “a nurturing and homelike environment,” the facility limits stays from six months to a year based on continuous evaluations, case specifics, and personalized recovery goals.