CEBU CITY – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has intensified efforts to eliminate child labor in Central Visayas by initiating livelihood programs for parents of profiled child workers.
Lilia Estillore, DOLE-7 regional director, said the move is in line with the priority agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to eliminate child labor as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
The labor agency said 200 parents and guardians of profiled child workers in six villages in Talibon, Bohol have been briefed on the “Kabuhayan Para sa Magulang ng Batang Manggagawa” (Livelihood for Parents of Child Laborers), a program that promotes sustainable livelihood as a tool to fight 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)