TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Nov. 23 (PIA) — Key national line agencies and provincial government offices recently came together to present their respective agency mandate and services especially those concerning children’s welfare.

The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) pooled them together during the Provincial Children’s Congress during which agency representatives discussed their services involving children’s rights to development, protection, participation and survival.

Among those invited to speak were  the Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),  Department of Education (DepEd) Davao del Norte Schools Division, Philippine Information Agency XI-Davao del Norte Information Center, Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), National Commission on Muslim Filipinos-Davao del Norte, Philippine National Police Davao del Norte.

PSWDO now headed by officer-in-charge Rose Rapista also invited the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, the Provincial Health Office and the Provincial Sports and Development Office to make children aware of respective services of these offices.

Held on November 21 at the Provincial Pavilion Hall, the First Provincial Children’s Congress was supported by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and National Youth Commission.

Rapista said the event was in line with the 26^th National Children’s Month with the theme “Isulong: Tamang Pag-aaruga para sa Lahat ng Bata (Advance: Right Care for All Children).”

In-school representatives from elementary, high school and from the sectors of indigenous peoples and Muslim youths were among the participants of the Congress.  They elected child representatives to represent their cause at the Provincial Council for Protection of Children.  (PIA XI DavNor Infocen-DOLE DavNor)