DSWD Social Technology Bureau Director Thelsa Biolena (4th from left), DSWD Field Office VIII Director Resty Macuto (3rd from right), Kananga Mayor Rowena Codilla (5th from right), together with representatives of participating agencies beam as they hold the signed agreement for the implementation of Project Shield in the town.
Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez (seated, center) is all smiles after signing the agreement for the implementation of Project Shield in the city. Also shown in photo are Dir. Biolena and Dir. Macuto as they sign the documents.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the local government units of Ormoc City and the municipality of Kananga in Leyte  for the  implementation of Project SHIELD (Strategic Helpdesks for Information, Education, Livelihood, and other Developmental Interventions) against child labor.

Project SHIELD is a model of intervention developed by DSWD which aims to address the phenomenon of child laborers and determine the situation they and their families face. The municipality of Kananga and the City of Ormoc are two of the pilot areas which will benefit from SHIELD.

DSWD Directors Thelsa P. Biolena of the Social Technology Bureau (STB) and Restituto Macuto of DSWD Field Office VIII signed the MOA yesterday with Kananga Mayor Rowena N. Codilla and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez.

In her message , Mayor Codilla said, “Ang kapobre maoy hinu​ngdan na imbis naa sa eskwelahan an mga bata, naa sila sa ilawom sa kainit na pagtrabaho a​ron  lamang makatabang sa adlaw-adlaw nga income sa pamilya. Atong responsibilidad na protektaran ang mga kabataan na madaot ang ilang ugma. Lakip kini sa atong mandato nga mapa-abot sa kanila ania kita andam sa pag-giya nila sa saktong dalan (Poverty is the main reason why many children do not attend school. Instead, they work under the heat of the sun in order to provide additional income for their families’ daily needs. It is our responsibility to protect children from endangering their health and safety. Part of our mandate is to let them know that we are here; ready to care and guide them to the right path).”

For his part, Mayor Gomez shared that Ormoc City is an agricultural area which is why many children and their families there live in poverty. Most of the children toil in sugarcane fields and other crop plantations at a tender age.

With the launch of the DSWD- led program against child labor, Mayor Gomez stated, “I am happy to be part of this wonderful undertaking as this surely will bring opportunities. Magtinabangay tayo (Let us help each other).”

Under the MOA, DSWD will lead the pilot implementation, conduct consultation meetings, allocate funds for the project, conduct capacity building activities, and establish a national as well as a regional inter-agency technical working group, among others.

The Local Government Units (LGUs), on the other hand, are responsible in mobilizing local leaders, and staff in the implementation of SHIELD.  The LGUs are  also expected to allocate necessary funds and establish barangay help desks for child laborers and their families.  The barangay help desks will provide a one-stop shop kind of service, as well as facilitate rescue operations, when necessary.

The LGUs are also tasked to adopt, establish and maintain the Child Labor Local Registry System (CLLR).

According to the DSWD Listahanan database, there are 85,570 child laborers nationwide recorded in the agriculture sector, which is the highest number.  This was followed by the number of children working in construction, manufacturing, deep-sea fishing, domestic work, and mining. These are believed to be very conservative numbers considering that there is no comprehensive system to monitor child labor in the various industries.

“There is no exaggerating the importance of protecting children from undertaking heavy and hazardous labor.  Government agencies such as the DSWD have the heavy responsibility to ensure that children are provided their basic needs, as well as crucial opportunities that will enable them to improve themselves so they eventually build a future.  They need to feel government’s  malasakit  and aruga (compassion and care) in tangible ways.  SHIELD is only one of these interventions for children forced to engage in manual labor at a very early age because of poverty,” DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

Sec. Taguiwalo added that DSWD is grateful to LGUs which willingly work with the Department for important programs such as SHIELD. She said that the DSWD cannot on its own completely or comprehensively address the problems that create the phenomenon of child labor.

“The LGUs must be equipped to eliminate the problems that lead to children engaging in hazardous work in their respective jurisdictions. Communities must work together to protect and care for children. We also hope that civil society groups will also extend a helping hand to our government agencies and communities as we implement this program to monitor and hopefully in the future eradicate child labor,” she concluded. #