The Molave Youth Center is located at the back of the Quezon City Hall. I went there yesterday to drop off old clothes and toys that I had collected during the holiday. I was informed that since the residents are youths aged 17 years old and below, they have no need for the toys.

The youth center is presently “home” to about 80 juveniles with pending cases. From this number, about eight are young women, and the rest are boys and young men. The “kuya” or house parent who accommodated me yesterday said the cases range from petty theft to robbery to murder. Some are first-time offenders. Others are there for the second time (maybe more). There was a small boy who caught my eye who turned out to be only 13 years old. I learned from the house parent that it’s his second time to be back in the center. The reason: petty thievery.

In all my years that I’ve been a volunteer, yesterday was my first time to see young men and women, and children in jail. (Oh I’ve been to the Manila Reception Action Center a couple of times. It’s a large compound situated very near the Central Station of the LRT. However the detention center, also located within the compound, was off-limits to non social workers like myself.)

As I was talking to the “kuya,” I noted that the boys actually have their own cells, which are their living quarters! After their merienda break (such as what I witnessed yesterday), they have to go back to their respective ‘rooms.’ I thought I’d only see those on television. Apparently, it’s TV that copies reality.

Lest readers get the wrong impression, the living quarters are clean and well ventilated. The boys are not cramped, and they look like they have ample space for moving around. The “kuya” assured me that they have a schedule throughout the week. In fact, the young residents have classes Monday to Friday, just like other youths their age. They also have sports activities, and those with families get to see their “nanay” or “tatay” during weekends.

I think it’s only fitting that the youth center is named after Molave, a small to large tree that can reach a height of 120 feet. Most finished products of the Molave tree are valued because of their durability. Similarly, I believe anybody who works at the youth center have to be firm because of the spiritedness of their young wards. The streets have hardened these children. Even with guidance from well-meaning social workers and house parents, there’s always the risk that some of them will go back to their old ways. To keep them in the straight and narrow, there’s no other recourse but to give them tough – durable - love.

[Except for toys, the Molave Youth Center accepts all kinds of donations. If you need something more specific, Kuya Joel, the house parent, informed me they need toiletries such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and the like.

They also accept old books, especially reference books, since the center has a small library.

If you have magazines and directories that you want to get rid off, you can bring them to the Molave Youth Center. The skillful hands of the residents will turn them into vases, boxes, and other useful items for selling.]