Surigao del sur: The Department of Labor and Employment Surigao del Sur Field Office (DOLE-SDSFO) has rolled out a series of employment and livelihood initiatives aimed at supporting families susceptible to child labor within the province. These initiatives are part of the broader Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP), which is aligned with the national Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL).
According to Philippines News Agency, the CLPEP and PPACL strategies are designed to tackle the underlying issues of child labor, which include poverty and inadequate livelihood opportunities. From January to September of this year, 131 parents and guardians of child laborers in Surigao del Sur benefited from short-term employment opportunities through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. This initiative resulted in PHP621,267 in wages being distributed to the beneficiaries.
Among the TUPAD participants, 47 individuals also engaged in community-based skills training, conducted in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the province. The training equipped the beneficiaries with various livelihood skills and competencies to assist families in establishing small home-based businesses or securing local employment for sustainable income sources, as stated by the DOLE-SDSFO.
The DOLE-SDSFO highlighted that access to these livelihood opportunities would allow children to prioritize education over labor. Additionally, during the same period, 114 parents of profiled child laborers received livelihood grants from the agency through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), totaling PHP3,264,218.
One of the beneficiaries, Cristina, a 42-year-old mother of four, shared her experience with the livelihood training and the grant she received for her barbecue business. She explained that her family's income was previously insufficient, leading her children to engage in labor instead of attending school. With the intervention from DOLE, Cristina's family now has a sufficient budget for their children's education and daily needs.
The DOLE-SDSFO is actively working with local governments in Surigao del Sur and other agencies on profiling child labor cases, monitoring them, and ensuring service delivery to combat child labor in the region.
