Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday, Nov. 27, delivered her fourth State of the City’s Children Report at the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) Covered Court, as the culminating activity of the city’s National Children’s Month celebration.
In her speech, the mayor highlighted the city government’s initiatives for the protection of children against child labor and others forms of abuse.
“Bilang pinuno ng Quezon City local government, tinantanggap ko ang mahalagang responsibilidad na maging kinatawan ng lahat ng kabataang naninirahan sa lungsod at nakikisa ako sa mainit na panawagang wakasan na ang child labor (As the head of the Quezon City local government, I accept the important responsibility of being the representative of all the youth who live in the city and I join in the fervent call to end child labor) ,” the mayor said.
Belmonte said that there are 1,029,684 children living in the city.
Among the total, the mayor said that the city’s Public Employment Services Office (PESO) has listed 10,222 (5,449 male and 4,773 female) children who were victims of illegal labor.
She said that the families of the victims of child labor were given financial assistance and were granted capital to help them start a small business for their livelihood.
To prevent the minors from getting involved in child labor, Belmonte signed the Executive Order No. 41, Series of 2022 last Sept. 9, to create the “Task Force Sampaguita (TFS).”
Belmonte said the TFS develops a comprehensive plan to save child laborers and to focus on the causes of their condition by analyzing the situations of their families.
She said the rescue operations of the TFS already removed 20 children from their harmful work on the streets. There are also 685 individuals and 296 minors rescued since the task force was created.
Belmonte also cited some of the local government’s programs and projects for the youth and their parents for livelihood, health, easy birth registration, education, development, safety, and welfare.
These include the construction of the different shelters such as the Molave Youth Home, a residential and rehabilitation center for children in conflict with the law (CICL); Bahay Kalinga, a residential facility for the abandoned, abused, and neglected children in and children need of special protection; and Tahanan, a rehabilitation and treatment center for minors who were victims of illegal drugs/substance abuse.
Belmonte also said that the city council has also passed the “Mental Health Code,” where the city’s first responders (barangay personnel, teachers and non-teaching staff) will be trained to address the first signs of mental health problems among children.
Meanwhile, Belmonte awarded the “Seal of Child Labor-Free Zone” to the QMC. The seal serves as a reminder that all the establishments QMC has no employees who are minors.
“Lahat ng establisimyento dito sa QMC, walang illegal na batang empleyado at binuo din nila ang kanilang Child Protection Policy upang agarang matugunan ang ano mang report o insidente ng child exploitation (All establishments here at QMC have no illegal child employees and they have also developed their Child Protection Policy to immediately address any report or incident of child exploitation),” she said.
She also encouraged the children not to be afraid to speak up for their rights as citizens of the city.
“Sa ating mga magulang, kasama ninyo ang ating pamahalaan sa pagtutok sa magandang kinabukasan ng inyong mga anak. Tulungan niyo kami na bantayan ang kapakanan at karapatan nila (To our parents, the city government is with you in focusing on the bright future of your children. Help us to protect their welfare and rights) ,” the mayor told the parents of the minors.
The late former President Benigno Aquino III signed the Republic Act 10661 in May 2015, declaring the month of November as the National Children’’s Month to raise awareness for the rights and welfare of the children in the county.