The Pasig City local government launched “Project Angel Tree,” a program to raise awareness and fight against child labor, in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to commemorate World Day Against Child Labor on Monday, June 12.
The project, under DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program, aimed to provide primary resources such as “kabuhayan packages” for children and their families to help them in their current state of poverty.
"[Ang] ating munting kabuhayan package sa mga magulang ng ating mga na profile na Child laborers ay magagamit para masiguro ang kanilang maganda at matatag na kinabukasan (Our kabuhayan packages for the parents of children who we profiled as child laborers can be used to ensure the kids’ futures),” said Dr. Ryan Delos Reyes, senior labor employment officer of DOLE- National Capital Region (NCR).
Beneficiaries of Project Angel Tree, referred to as "Batang Malaya," are given food packs and hygiene kits by the Pasig City local government on June 12, 2023 as part of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)'s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program. (Pasig PIO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Around 50 beneficiaries, called under the program as “Batang Malaya '' who were selected from the Sagip Batampalengke organization in Pasig, were given hygiene kits and grocery packs from some of the companies included in the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (TIPC).
Complementary to Project Angel Tree, 25 beneficiaries who are parents of child laborers were also each given P20,000 worth of financial assistance and 16 sacks of rice through DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood Program.
Pasigueno beneficiaries of the Integrated Livelihood Program receive financial assistance and sacks of rice on June 12, 2023 from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). (Pasig PIO / MANILA BULLETIN)
DOLE-NCR Director Lilibeth Cagara said the program seeks to help the livelihoods of families in the hopes that it will generate employment for households and communities.
“Sa ating laban kontra child labor, alam naman po natin ang mga realidad ng buhay. Alam natin na hindi lang pwede sabihin 'pigilan niyo yan.' Kailangan may kasabay po iyan na tulong [para sa] mga kabataan at mga pamilya (In our fight against child labor, we know the current realities of life. We know that we cannot simply tell people to stop. At the same time, help needs to be given to both children and their families),” Sotto said.
He added that the local government will ensure the implementation of long-lasting and sustainable programs and interventions to fight child labor in the city, especially through the help of the TIPC.
Pasig Representative Roman Romulo also assured the public of his support in the local government’s programs for all Pasigueno children, emphasizing the need for children to be in schools instead of being coerced into the workforce.
DOLE Undersecretary Benjo Santos M. Benavidez, in a video message, expressed the agency’s support for the eradication of child labor in the country.
“Makakatulong sa ating laban kung ang lahat ng kasapi ng pamahalaan ay mabibigyan ng patas na oportunidad na abutin ang kanilang mga pangarap at kung tinatamasa ng isa't isa ang pantay-pantay na karapatan at pribilehiyo sa ilalim ng batas (It would help in our fight [versus child labor] if all government units provide fair opportunities for people to achieve their dreams and if each of us is able to enjoy equal rights and privileges under the law),” Benavidez said.
National Council Against Child Labor (NCACL), under DOLE, is leading the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) Strategic Framework for 2023 to 2028.
The PPACL “is working towards preventing and progressively eliminating child labor through protection, withdrawal, healing, and reintegration of child workers into a caring society; supports the alleviation of extreme poverty, which has been the leading cause of child labor in the country,” according to DOLE.