The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD XI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE XI), and various member agencies of the Regional Council Against Child Labor (RCACL XI) inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the implementation of the “HELP ME” Convergence Program, last November 26, 2021, at Garden Oases in Davao City.

The “HELP ME” Convergence Program stands for H – for health, nutrition, and medical services; E – for education and training; L – for livelihood opportunities to parents of child laborers; P – for prevention, protection, and prosecution; M – for monitoring, and E – for evaluation.

The program aims to implement a sustainable and response convergence program by providing community-based, focused, converged, and synchronized strategies to child laborers and their families to effectively address the child labor problems in the Philippines.

Present in the MOA signing were the Regional Directors of various national government agencies (NGAs) namely, Atty. Randolf C. Pensoy of DOLE XI, Mr. Ronald Ryan R. Cui of DSWD XI, Dr. Annabelle P. Yumang of the Department of Health (DOH XI), Mr. Alex C. Roldan of the Department of the Interior Local Government (DILG XI), Atty. Michael M. Mamukid of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP XI), Arch. Sherrila Porza Sawah of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF XI), Mr. Agusto Tapia of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC XI), Mr. Renee Boy Binondo of the Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC XI), and Ms. Jeanevive D. Abangan of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA XI).

Also present were representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd XI), Department of Justice (DOJ XI), Department of Agriculture (DA XI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR XI), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA XI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA XI), Philippine Statistics Office (PSA XI), Philippine National Police Regional Office (PNP PRO XI) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI XI).

The RCACL is the regional counterpart of the National Council Against Child Labor (NCACL), chaired by the DOLE and co-chaired by the DSWD, and is composed of various NGAs, non-government agencies (NGOs), and Tripartite Industry Peace Councils (TIPCs).

The council was created through Executive Order No. 92, which aims to institutionalize the NCACL to upscale the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL), signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte last September 17, 2019. ###