Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan, through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), identified child laborers and awarded them with livelihood packages to rescue them from working on the streets.
A total of 39 families were given rice livelihood packages as part of PESO’s support for the local council’s program for the protection of children.
According to the local chief executive, this aims to help their families to have an alternative source of income, as most of the identified children were scrap collectors and street vendors.
“Nais nating mailayo na sa magulong buhay sa lansangan at pangangalakal ang ating mga kabataan. Gusto natin mabigyan ang kanilang pamilya ng pagkakakitaan para makapag-focus sila sa kanilang pag-aaral at hindi sa pagtratrabaho sa kalsada,” Mayor Along said.
According to PESO Officer-in-charge Ms. Violeta Gonzales, the department seeks to provide more opportunities for residents, including the vulnerable sectors of women, solo parents, and senior citizens to help eliminate child labor in the city.
“Sisikapin natin sa PESO makapaglaan ng mas maraming oportunidad para sa mga kababayan natin, lalo na sa mga kababaihan, solo parents at senior citizens nang maiwasan ang pagtratrabaho ng mga kabataan para makatulong sa kani-kanilang mga pamilya,” she stated.
In line with this, the City Social Welfare Development Department (CSWDD) continuously conducts reach-out operations to rescue children from the streets, provide them hot meals and check their medical condition before returning them to their parent or guardian.
Present also during the awarding ceremony held at Buena Park, Caloocan was DOLE Camanava Field Office Director Rowella Grande.
