Child labor seen to rise

MALOLOS CITY – Incidence of child labor in the country is seen to rise due to rising cost of living and prices of basic commodities, officials said during the annual celebration of World Day Against Child Labor at the Bulacan State University here Friday.

Allan Villamar of the Department of Labor and Employment Central Luzon office and Lenie Rose del Rosario of the Bulacan provincial social welfare office said that possible increase in incidence of child labor must be met with wider and stronger interventions.

“We need every sector to join hands together do address this issue,” Villamar said.

He said the rising cost of living and prices of basic commodities might lead more children to try to earn a living rather than going to school.

Del Rosario and other officials from the Department of Education who were present during the annual celebration feared the same. They said that for indigent families, survival is paramount.

Del Rosario added that since they initiated the advocacy against child labor in the province two years ago, more non-government organizations have joined them.

She said that at least 3,516 of the monitored 9,004 child laborers were sent to school after the government and NGOs provided jobs to some 2,106 parents.

“Hindi pa 100 percent ang tagumpay natin pero maganda ang simula dahil nabuksan na ang isipan ng mga magulang na dapat ay ibalik sa paaralan ang mga anak nila, sa halip na maging child laborer,” Del Rosario said.

The same was echoed by Daphne Culanag, the project director of the ABK II Initiative:Teach Now who said, “mayroon tayong pag-asa sa gitna ng hirap ng buhay,’ huwag tayong tumigil. Magkaisa tayo.”

She said that the rising cost of living and prices of basic commodities will only beset their efforts to curb the incidence of child labor if they will stop.

“Dapat ay magkaisa ang lahat ng sector sa community, because the child labor issue is not only parents’ problem, but the community as well,” Culanag said. –Dino Balabo, The Philippine Star