Gov’t seeks to reduce Phl child labor

MANILA, Philippines- The national government on Tuesday announced that it will have reduced child labor by 75 percent in 2015, with the ambitious goal of making every barangay in the country child labor-free.

During the launching of Batang Malaya program, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Aquino administration is “very determined” to eliminate child labor in the country.

“We at the DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) reiterate our pledge to do our utmost in making every barangay in the country with high child labor incidence child labor-free. In carrying out this resolve, we will take one barangay at a time. We will meet the challenge head-on,” Baldoz told a media briefing in line with the World Day Against Child Labor celebration.

A survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in October 2011 showed that there are 5.492 million working children between five and 17 years old.

Of this figure, more than half, or 3.028 million are child laborers while 2.993 million work in hazardous child labor.

Baldoz said the survey results give more accurate situation of the child labor in the country which the previous 1995 and 2001 surveys did not reflect.

She added that the survey showed 70 percent or 2.106 million of child laborers are still attending school.

“This is one of the important sectors, our youth is the hope of our fatherland. Kung ganito karami, the challenge is to keep them in shool, and provide parents have enough income and have our human resource and poverty reduction (programs) go down to barangay level,” she said.

NSO Administrator Carmelita Ericta said the survey indicated that as the child laborers grow older, they tend to drop out of schools.

The survey showed that 91.8 percent of children aged between five to nine years old are still attending school while 52.7 percent of child laborers between 15 to 17 years old have dropped out of school.

Ericta also said the survey did not identify work or illegal activities the children engage in, such as prostitution or drug trafficking.

On Dec. 14, 2011, the Labor Department signed a memorandum of agreement with other government agencies, such as the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and other non-government organizations for the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor. –Dennis Carcamo, Philippine Star