D.O.L.E. concerned over sightings of child laborers in 2 Cebu cities

By Charles R. Pepito, Businessmirror, Mar 7, 2018

CONCERNED over sightings of child laborers in Bogo City and Medellin town in Cebu, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE 7) in the region will have work places where children were seen, inspected.

In a meeting with the Board of Trustees of the District Tripartite Council (DTC) in Bogo-Medellin Milling Corp. Inc. (Bomedco), DOLE 7 acting Regional Director Cyril L. Ticao asked assistance from the representatives of the council to help the department check and monitor the presence of child laborers.

Cebu Provincial Field Office chief Maria Grace V. Diaz relayed an earlier unverified report of child laborers still present in the area.

Ticao urged DTC-Bomedco to be vigilant and help promote the DOLE’s campaign on “Child Labor Prevention and Elimination.”

“We want the different DTCs in the region—not only DTC-Bomedco—to be actively involved in our advocacy. We would be able to reach further heights and disseminate information to everybody that child labor is illegal if they are one with us. Parents or guardians of these children should be able to understand that what they’re actually doing is banned and against the law,” Ticao said.

After the revocation of the Negros Island Region, apart from DTC-Bomedco, the Central Azucarera de Bais, Universal Robina Sugar Milling Corp. and the Universal Robina Corp. Tolong Sugar Mill of Negros Oriental are now under the umbrella of the Regional Tripartite Industrial Peace Council of Region 7.

Ticao admitted that child labor usually happens in the sugar industry, and poverty is the main reason children do back-breaking work to help their parents earn a living.

“The DOLE has livelihood funds intended for the parents of child laborers. In this way, we would be able to help them explore other alternative means of livelihood, hoping to stop them from letting their children work,” he said.

Barangay Cayang in Bogo City and Barangays Caputatan Sur and Caputatan Norte in Medellin already received livelihood assistance from the DOLE for the parents of noted child laborers.

There is a need to strengthen and revitalize the campaign against child labor, particularly in Bogo and Medellin, given the reports received by the DOLE, he continued.

In June 2017 the DOLE’s Child Prevention and Elimination Program monitored said places, saying the DOLE would continue sustaining its linkage and network among barangays concerned where child laborers were usually spotted.

The DOLE would once again deploy personnel to do monitoring and verify reports received.

“Eliminating child labor is a gigantic task, given the economic situation that most of our brothers and sisters are into. But, with the help and cooperation of our social partners, like the Industrial Peace Councils and District Tripartite Councils, and the local government units, we fervently hope we would be able to help achieve the country’s sustainable development goal of ending child labor,” Ticao said.