October as National Children’s Month was celebrated last October 26 at Jose Panganiban town with the theme “Bright Child; Karapatan Nasa’yo, Isigaw sa Buong Mundo”, under the auspices of the World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF). The celebration was dubbed Children’s Day for Child Laborers and Children At-Risk.
Some of the highlights of the activity that was attended by 170 children included the talent presentation of various members of Barangay Children’s Association (BCA), presentation of the result of the two-year project implementation of ABK (Pag-Aral ng Bata para sa Kalikasan) Initiative, presentation of children’s educational concerns/issues as well as the stakeholders’ responses, children’s workshop on advocacy tools such as flyers, leaflets and posters, parents’ awareness contest on children’s rights and responsibilities and awarding of certificates of appreciation to the local partners.
In her message, Congresswoman Liwayway Vinzons-Chato of the Lone District of Camarines Norte said that children should be loved, protected and cared for. “They also ought to enjoy their basic rights and life’s necessities, such as having a loving family, good education and healthy environment.”
To curb child labor through education, Rep. Vinzons-Chato cited her plans to have scholars per barangay, to establish a mobile skills training center and to give livelihood projects to her constituents.
Chato, who is also the chairman of the board of directors of WVDF, promised that WVDF would continue in helping the province. She emphasized the vision of the said foundation as “Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.”
Earlier a Talakayan/Media Dialogue on Breastfeeding/Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and Environmental Sanitation was held in this capital town as part of the celebration of National Children’s Month.
(LVLagatuz, PIA Cams. Norte)
