by Mindy Aguon
Guam - Last week KUAM News reported a 17-year old boy who flew to Guam from the Philippines with no family on Guam and $200 in his pocket seeking employment at the Agency for Human Resources Development. Because the teen is a minor, AHRD management reported him to the Guam Police Department and Child Protective Services.
According to Public Health human services program administrator Lydia Tenorio, the teen is still on island and remains under protective custody. "The one thing I can tell you is that while we may have exerted protective custody that means he becomes a ward of the state temporarily until we can determine the next course of action," she said. "And that would mean having to connect with the bio-parent and from there what the intentions will be."
Because the minor is under protective custody, CPS will begin the due process of family court proceedings. She adds he is in temporary placement but would not confirm where only saying that for cases involving older children, they are likely placed in group homes depending on space. The Guam Police meanwhile has yet to verify if the boy's story and age are in fact true.