By John Rey Saavedra
CEBU CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Central Visayas has intensified its efforts to eradicate child labor by implementing livelihood programs for the parents of identified child workers.
According to Lilia Estillore, the regional director of DOLE-7, this initiative aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priority agenda to eliminate child labor, as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
The labor agency has informed 200 parents and guardians of identified child workers in six villages in Talibon, Bohol about the “Kabuhayan Para sa Magulang ng Batang Manggagawa” (Livelihood for Parents of Child Laborers) program. This program advocates for sustainable livelihood as a means to combat child labor.
A protective and caring environment for children must permeate all societal levels and institutions such as family, school, community, and the workplace,” Estillore said in a statement on Tuesday.
DOLE also strengthened its monitoring of child workers in Negros Oriental, particularly in Barangays Bagtic of Mabinay; Cabcaban of Bindoy; Jantianon of Amlan; and in Maninihon and Villareal in Bayawan City.
In Bohol, child workers were mostly profiled in the villages of San Jose, Santo Niño, Magsaysay, Poblacion, San Franciso, and San Pedro, all in Talibon town.
Child laborers in Cebu City were monitored in Barangay Tisa, where 139 parents got PHP3.5 million worth of jigs (being used to guide cutting tools), materials and equipment.
In 2022, DOLE-7 profiled 15,778 children all over Central Visayas. (PNA)
