Friday, July 29, 2011

Provincial Inter-Agency Anti Child Labor committee reports accomplishments

By Irma A. Guhit

SORSOGON CITY, JULY 29 (PIA) .....In a special meeting held here today at Mango Grill, the Sorsogon Provincial Inter-Agency Anti Child Labor Committee  (SPIAACLC)  and Sagip Batang Mangagawa Quick Action Team reported on the accomplishments and activities conducted for the first two quarters of this year.

The Department of Labor and Employment through its provincial field officer, Imelda Romanillos convened the members for the reporting and assessment of activities and interventions provided by member agencies to see where the SPIAACLC is now in terms of the resolution of concerns and issues regarding anti- child labor practices observed and reported to the committee.

The concerns that were ventilated were the identification of the anti-labor practices observed in some areas or local government units where the interventions of the SPIAACLC like the children divers in Matnog, some children employed as domestic helpers and some children who are also being exploited by parents in asking for alms in the streets.

According to Romanillos the concerns raised by some member- agencies in the identification of where these children are used as child laborers were discussed and the interventions to be provided were also taken up during the first quarter meeting.

The first quarter meeting of the SPIAACIC according to Romanillos was attended by 15 members member agencies comprising of the Deartment of Education Sorsogon City, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, National Council for the Welfare of Children, Public Employment  Service Office, LGU Pilar, Department of Justice, Green Valley Development Inc., Philippine Ports Authority -Bulan, Sorsogon Provincial Management Office, Philippine Information Agency, Philippine national Police. National Statistics Office and the Department of Labor and Employment held here at the City of Sorsogon.

Here the objective and activities were planned up to December of this year and how this plan was to be implemented.

The second quarterly meeting was  held in Matnog. It gave the newly organized Matnog Inter Agency Anti-Child Labor Committee  (MIAACLC) an orientation on the guidelines provided and stipulated in the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL).

Meanwhile according to Romanillos, because of the prevalence of child labor in the municipality of Pilar specially  in the port, way back 2005 the  local government  through its Sanggunian Bayan has enacted a municipal ordinance on the regulation of employment of children which is the Municipal Ordinance No 007, series of 2005 and the creation of the Pilar Sagip Batang Mangagawa Quick Action Team created through the Executive Order No.05, series of 2011 which also took effect June 14, 20ll.

During the  discussion on the PPACL frameworK, this ordinance was taken up so as  to provide  the  Pilar Inter Agency Anti-Child Labor Committee a more thorough complementation in terms of enforcement and was shared to the member agencies for replication in other municipalities.

An advocacy on PPACL with the members of the barangays  was also conducted  last June 24 at barangay Binanuahan, Pilar, Sorsogon with the same topics discussed.

In the evaluation meeting, Romanillos solicited the member agencies inputs as to the other activities scheduled this August. (PIA-SORSOGON)

In the local government of Pilar the same local counter part of the SPIAACLC was organized and they were also provided orientation on the basic topics like the PPACL Framework, RA 9232, RA 9208 and this was presented through the assistance of the Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. headed by Evely Ubaldo. (PIA Sorsogon)

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