The Senate on Monday, May 23 approved on third and final reading the bill that seeks to help parents in providing their children quality care during critical stages of development.
Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2399 got the unanimous approval of 21 senators on Monday, May 23. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.
The measure primarily calls for the establishment and implementation of the “Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) Program”, in order to strengthen parental involvement in child development and learning by expanding their knowledge and skills on parenting.
The measure seeks to cover fathers and mothers, as well as parent substitutes.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture and author of the bill hailed the approval of the Upper Chamber on the bill.
He said the PES program also aims to assist parents in promoting the protection of children’s rights, fostering positive early childhood development, and advancing educational progress.
“Ang ating mga magulang ang una nating mga guro at nananatili silang katuwang ng ating mga paaralan at mga komunidad pagdating sa pagpapalaki at paghubog ng karakter ng mga kabataan (Our parent are our first teachers and they are the partners of our school and community in raising and shaping our youth’s future),” Gatchalian said.
“Sa pamamagitan ng Parent Effectiveness Service Program, paiigtingin natin ang kakayahan ng mga magulang na tugunan ang pangangailangan ng kanilang mga anak at isulong ang kanilang kapakanan ( Through the PES program, we will improve the capability of the parents to cover the needs of their children and ensure their welfare),” said Gatchalian.
Under the bill, the PES program shall be implemented in every city and municipality, with modules to be developed and produced by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned agencies.
Under the measure, the modules shall be consistent with existing laws and cover parental roles, needs and responsibilities, challenges of parenting, as well as child development, child abuse prevention, health and nutrition, among others.
Funds for the implementation of the PES program shall be sourced from the appropriations of the said government agencies in its first year, and thereafter, be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) for its continuous rollout.