PASIG CITY, Philippines -The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is enjoining all punong barangays and sangguniang barangay members to take the lead in promoting and protecting children’s rights and welfare. DILG Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno said that during the first Cabinet Meeting in June, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had instructed the DILG to communicate to all barangay officials their key role as custodian of children’s rights within their barangays.
“As we know, our President has a soft spot for children. The efforts of this administration are geared toward having a better future for the next generation of Filipinos,” said Sueno. In compliance with the President’s instruction, the DILG Secretary issued a directive to all local chief executives (LCEs) at the provincial, city and municipal levels to mobilize necessary resources and support to deliver efficient and effective basic social services and facilities for the care and protection of children.
Specifically, he urged barangay officials as custodian of children’s rights to promote the vision of building a child-friendly Philippines by putting children’s rights and well-being at the center of their development agenda. He said barangay officials must ensure that programs for the welfare and development of children are included in their respective comprehensive Barangay Development Plan with adequate human and financial resources for efficient and effective implementation.
In his directive, he also called on barangays to enact and enforce rights-based local ordinances for children, and urged them to strengthen their Barangay Council for the Protection of Children. Furthermore, he reminds barangay officials along with LCEs that the country is a State Party in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and that the Local Government Code of 1991 is replete with provisions that mandate local government units (LGUs) to establish basic services and facilities for the welfare, development, and protection of children.
DILG to barangays: Promote children’s rights
