At least 150 working children in the Ilocos Region have received educational and health kits courtesy of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
DOLE Regional Director Evelyn Ramos said this on Thursday after the agency distributed bags and food packs to them.
The children-beneficiaries are classified as child laborers through DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP).
“Through the CLPEP, we ensure that these children are referred to respective government agencies for proper intervention and support. These include the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Local Government Units, and other concerned agencies,” Ramos said.
Aside from the gift-giving program, the DOLE is also giving livelihood assistance to selected parents of child laborers so that they can start a small business to feed their families and send their children to school. The livelihood aid is worth PHP30,000.
“We provide them (the) means to create more resources for their family, so that their children are not obligated to work, rather they should stay in school and focus on their education,” Ramos added.
DOLE records showed that there are 8,329 child laborers in Region 1. Most of these children are working in Pangasinan with 4,692, followed by Ilocos Norte with 1,283; Ilocos Sur with 1,278 and La Union with 1,076.
According to the DOLE, all of the profiled child workers had been referred to social partners for intervention and support.
Source: Philippines News Agency
