MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of the National Council Against Child Labor to strengthen government efforts for the protection of children’s rights.
In his Executive Order No. 92, signed September 17 and released Friday, Duterte reorganized the National Child Labor Committee which was created through a memorandum of agreement between various government agencies in 2011 as part of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) initiative.
The newly-created council will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment and co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The members of the council will be the following:
Secretary, Department of Education
Secretary, Department of Health
Secretary, Department of Interior and Local Government
Secretary, Department of Justice
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Secretary, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos
Director-General, National Economic and Development Authority
Director-General, Philippine Information Agency
Director-General, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
Executive Director, Council for the Welfare of Children
Chairperson, National Youth Commission
Chairperson, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
National Statistician, Philippine Statistics Authority
Police Director-General, Philippine National Police
Director, National Bureau of Investigation
Sectoral Representative, Basic Sector on Children, National Antipoverty Commission
Two representatives from the employers’ sector and non-government organizations will likewise sit as members of the National Council Against Child Labor.
EO 92 directs the council to formulate a framework, national action plan, and programs for the effective enforcement of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuses, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
The presidential order likewise tasked the council to create Technical Working Groups anchored on the strategic directions of the PPACL framework.
All government agencies are instructed to support and assist the National Council Against Child Labor in fulfilling its mandate. /kga