DoLE crafts action plan to solve child labor problem

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz yesterday said that their Regional office in Davao (Region 11) has formulated an action plan which aims to eliminate child labor problem in the mines of Maragusan, Compostela Valley.

She said the action plan underscores the DoLE’s efforts to accomplish the 22-point labor and employment agenda of President Aquino which stresses the protection of the rights of workers including children who are forced to work in hazardous conditions.

According to reports from DoLE Regional Office 11, more than 150 minors are working in the mines of Pamintaran in Maragusan, Compostela Valley as “packers” or gold ore porters. The youth workers, aged 14 to 17 years old, carry ore gravel weighing 50 kilos or more from the tunnel entrance to the loading station, negotiating slippery and treacherous mountain trails. Some of the youth laborers are also working as ball mills, water porters and even “avanteros” or miners.

Baldoz said many of youth workers in the Maragusan mines are from the Mandaya, one of the largest indigenous communities in Region 11, in Kagan Valley which is the most inaccessible and poorest barangay in Davao Oriental.

To address the problem, DoLE RO 11 spearheaded the profiling and action planning workshop with officials in the local government unit and other stakeholders in Davao to formulate activities that would help eliminate youth and child labor in the mines of Maragusan.

The labor chief said the regional office will provide livelihood assistance and conduct livelihood and skills training for the Mandayas and residents of Marasugan under the Grow Micro program to help improve their living conditions.

The selected beneficiaries from the Mandaya and Marasugan communities will be provided with training services, business mentoring and advisory, referral for micro-credit assistance, social protection and marketing linkages, she said.

Meanwhile, participants in the action planning workshop suggested the immediate removal of minors in the mining area and provision of training for the youth of Kagan Valley and Maragusan. They also recommended infrastructure and value formation for the minors and their families.

The recommendations were presented to Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Compostela Valley and Sangguniang Bayan ng Maragusan for implementation. –Mina Diaz, Daily Tribune