The Makati City Government has earned the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance for 2018 after getting a score of 95 percent in the evaluation done by the awards body consisting of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Council for the Welfare of the Children, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The city was one of the awardees from the National Capital Region recognized on Nov. 21 at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City. The selection of awardees was based on the following criteria: Children’s Survival, Development, Protection, Participation, and Governance in the city.
Mayor Abby Binay thanked the agencies for recognizing the city’s efforts to protect and uplift the welfare of children in Makati.
“It is with great pride and honor that we receive this award for the City of Makati. We are grateful to the DSWD, CWC and DILG for recognizing our hard work to make sure that every child in Makati is able to exercise his rights and has equal access to the privileges and benefits provided by the city,” the mayor said.
“I would also like to congratulate the Makati City Council for the Protection of Children. By continuing to efficiently carry out your mandate to promote the welfare of the children in our city, you have helped make Makati a child-friendly city,” she added.
The Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance is conferred on cities and municipalities that have passed the stringent assessment and evaluation process. This audit gauges the city’s level of performance in the implementation of child-friendly programs and projects.
In line with the celebration of the National Children’s Month, the city recently held a children’s assembly for young Makatizens where they were able to express their concerns to the mayor. Mayor Abby also reported on the city’s accomplishments for the children’s sector in her State of the Children Address.
To further promote and ensure that Makati stays as a child-friendly city, the government is also set to award child-friendly barangays on Nov. 27.
Mayor Abby reiterated the commitment of her administration to promote children’s welfare and optimum development, citing the substantive budget allocations for education, health, and social services under the recently approved 2020 city budget.
Health got the biggest share of the total budget among the social sub-sectors, with P5.26 billion (29.17 percent), followed by Education with P1.43 billion (7.93 percent), and Social Welfare with P1.37 billion (7.59 percent).