CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Pampanga celebrated the National Children’s Month at the Heroes Hall, here to promote a child-friendly and child-sensitive environment in the province yesterday.
The Provincial Government, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), assembled a National Day Care Children’s Congress as an effort to underscore children’s primary rights – survival, development, protection, and participation.
PSWDO Head Elizabeth Estiller-Baybayan said, “In the province of Pampanga, hindi maiiwan ang welfare ng children dahil dito sa province, ang ating goal is to have one policy, one program, and one team.”
The Children’s congress is the fruit of the labor of parents and day-care workers who nurtured the lives of young children by showcasing their talents in various child-friendly contests.
The celebration, with the theme “Karapatang Pambata: Patuloy na Pahalagahan at Gampanan tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan,” included child-friendly contests such as draw and color, poem recital, solo singing, and zumba wherein hundreds of children participated in.
Andrei Mariano, a child representative with disability, in his message urged the Kapampangan public to create a safe space for children to enjoy their rights.
He said, “Bata man o matanda, maitim man o puti, may kapansanan man o wala, dapat isapuso, isaisip at isabuhay ang karapatan ng mga batang Filipino.”
The celebration of National Children’s Month is pursuant to Republic Act No. 10661 otherwise known as “An Act Declaring the Month of November of Every Year as the National Children’s Month” to celebrate and recognize children as the most valuable assets of the nation.
Because of this, the provincial government put emphasis on the active implementation of the Provincial Ordinance No. 547, series of 2012, or Comprehensive Welfare Code for Children of the Province of Pampanga.
The provincial government offers programs aiming at uplifting and supporting the rights of the children. Such programs include Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES), Education Financial Assistance Program (EFAP) Vitamin Supplementation, yearly vaccination and deworming for children, sports activities and youth open forums.