Central Luzon Pushes for Child Welfare

Representatives of Child Care Institutions in Region 3 (standing) witness the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement for the Capacity Building Project for House Parents in Region 3. Seated from left are DSWD Region 3 Director Adelina Apostol, ACTION Project Manager Hajime Yokota, JICA Philippines Representative Misa Kemmiya and Rehoboth Children’s Home Tarlac Executive Director Amelia Tuquero.

Makati City, November 27, 2012 – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 3 celebrated the International Day for Children on November 20, with a back-to-back event at the Travelers Hotel in Subic.

At the event, DSWD recognized the towns of Samal and Mariveles in Bataan and the cities of Balanga and Olongapo as the regional winners in the annual Presidential Award for Child-friendly Municipalities. They will compete in this year’s national search for local government units which champion children’s rights to safety, development, protection and participation.

The region furthers its effort in promoting child welfare through partnering with a Japanese NGO, A Child’s Trust is Ours to Nurture (ACTION). Since 1994, ACTION has been implementing various activities in the Philippines, such as orphanage support and livelihood programs.

The new project with ACTION aims to train social workers and house parents at child care institutions. Thirty-three such facilities in the region will join this project, which is funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project was launched in conjunction with the awarding ceremony for Child-friendly Municipalities. It will run until 2015.

“Since we are doing this pilot project in Region 3, we hope to replicate it in other regions in the future”, said DSWD Regional Director Adelina Apostol. “We hope that these children will become leaders and productive members of our society when they grow up”, she added.