Not all ordinances relating to children are reviewed and approved by their provincial governments, especially on children’s code of Municipalities in the Philippines.
Local governments are responsible to the efficient and effective provision of basic services and facilities, which includes, among others, programs and projects on child and youth welfare.
There is a need to be sensitive to the needs of children by building a Child Friendly Society where children are nurtured and allowed to grow and develop in dignity, protected from threats to their well-being and free to express themselves and participate on their development.
Children are considered the “Hope of the Future Generation”; however, included in the most vulnerable sector of our society because of the ineffectiveness of the implementation of government agencies due to the lack of training of its members, non-utilization of the allotted funds, poor networking and building connection, among others.
The municipality of Virac, HLAF’s partner in Catanduanes Region recognizes that children are important assets of our society and should be given a decent quality life and it is only when they are able to exercise their rights that they could develop their full potentials.
Virac is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 76,520 people. It is most populous and fifth largest in land area in Catanduanes.
The children’s code of Virac was last given attention on 2004 until HLAF came, told Vice Mayor Arlynn H. Arcilla. She said that it was a generalized one, not catering and identifying to promote the needs suitable to provide the best and quality services to children in Virac.
“Nakita and alam na namin na kailangan talagang i-update ang children’s code ordinance namin dito, ideally nga dapat every 5 years, together with our Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office-MSWDO, kaso there was no one to guide us on how we would do it”.
Arcilla requested that their children’s code ordinance be customized so that it would cater to the best interest of children.
“When it was discussed sa meeting, Naoverwhelm ako kasi madaming tratrabahuhin lalong lalo na kailangan mo ulit basahin at intindihin ang mga past laws and past ordinances”.
But she wasn’t discouraged since she knew there were her back-ups, HLAF, MSWDO, and her advocacy to promote children’s rights and welfare. There were series and unending number of different meetings, deliberations, and public hearings when we presented our children’s code to members of the provincial government. Our process of bringing it to the provincial level was smooth flowing, since stakeholders involved to promote children’s rights, welfare, and well-being were supportive and were giving their comments and suggestions to improve the ordinance, Arcilla told.
While one of Virac’s role is to amend and revise child-related ordinances as part of their involvement in the project, most of their member’s advocacies are promoting and protecting children’s rights. “Alam namin na part ito ng counterpart sa amin while being trained and capacitated, we really are thankful to HLAF and Consuelo Foundation (CF) who gave us the opportunity to act kahit na mayroong kinakaharap na pandemic”. Sila ang nagpadali ng trabaho namin, plus giving us the dedication and passion to work with other stakeholders for children.
Arcilla told that the revisions and integration on the ordinances were tough since they had to consider all significant laws in the national and local level. She added that they had countless overtime work to review them one by one.
Virac is part of the four (4) target municipalities of HLAF to strengthen the institutional framework supporting integrated child-protection system to deliver gender/culture/conflict and trauma-informed sensitive and child-focused programs that prevent and respond to vulnerabilities, risk, and threats on children.
The CAPIN program is Consuelo Foundation’s (CF) community-based child protection advocacy program. It advocates for the adoption of child-sensitive practices and mechanism in the prevention and management of child-abuse, neglect, and exploitation (CANE) cases.
The help from revising Virac’s ordinances came from the help of this activity. They are currently waiting for the publication of their children’s code ordinance in the provincial level.
When asked about the result of the project collaborations and trainings, Arcilla told that “the CAPIN project hugely impacted us lalo na ang programa para sa mga children. Though may standardized programs and activities naman ang MSWDO, nalaman naming ang iba’t ibang strategies ng other LGUs and the CAPIN itself. We were inspired to be more active and dynamic, and more innovative. CAPIN pushed us to pursue this work better”.
Arcilla shared that even today, she wishes to have more partners like HLAF and CF that would enable and help them to promote children’s rights, and even for other sectoral units of the local government.
“Siguro pag walang CAPIN, de kahon parin”.
Virac recognizes the vital role of children in the development to promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. The importance of effectively promoting, fully enhancing, and institutionalizing the survival, development, protection and participation rights of children will create better and safe spaces for children toward being the hope of the future generation.
