CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--Vietnamese viewers were treated to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-10’s DOLEkula child labor advocacy films when they reached Vietnam during the conduct of regional information sharing between the Philippines and Vietnam, organized by the World Vision Project Against Child Exploitation (WV PACE).

DOLE NorMin’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP) Regional Focal Person, Glenford Labial, and DOLE Cagayan de Oro City Field Office Head, Emmanuel Toledo, were among the 62 Philippine representatives from different stakeholders, both at the national and local levels, who attended the said activity on August 21–24, 2023, in Da Nang City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam.

The presentation of the DOLEkula films was given the limelight during the 4-day undertaking that aimed to share the milestones achieved by each country, exchange learning, identify strengths, gaps, challenges, and opportunities, and identify focused activities or strategies to support the sustainability of mechanisms for addressing the worst forms of child labor, particularly online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

The gathering was attended by 80 participants from Vietnam and the Philippines, who primarily discussed law enforcement, assisted services, and strengthened partnerships in relation to the elimination of child labor.

In relation to the exchange of good practices, DOLE NorMin’s one-minute films were aired as advocacy platforms focused on the elimination of child labor incidence, while WV PACE was also committed as a social non-government organization partner to free and protect children from exploitation and child labor.

In his sharing, Toledo thanked the WV PACE-Philippines for inspiring the Department to produce eye-catching short films about the plight of child laborers, which are helpful in raising public awareness on the issue of child labor, underscoring strong collaboration to stop child labor and exploitation against children.

“This (DOLEkula) advocacy serves as a humble contribution for us (DOLE) in curbing and addressing the incidence of child labor prevalence in the region and the Philippines,” Toledo said.

World Vision Vietnam National Director Doseba Sinay expressed gratitude to the Philippine delegation for sharing milestones of partnership building, activities conducted, challenges, and best practices for adaptation as an opportunity for future programming.

“We ensure the welfare of the children. It has always been our commitment to protect children from child labor and violence,” Sinay said during the opening ceremony.

In a message via Facebook Messenger, DOLE NorMin OIC Regional Director Estrella Pahalla expressed congratulations to the CLPEP team and to the entire organization.

“Our DOLEkula is featured in the Vietnam Asian advocacy campaign against child labor. Kudos to Dolex and the entire team! Congratulations, and continue to make proactive noise. Make a difference in all strides!” Pahalla said.

DOLEkula or Pelikulang DOLE (DOLE Film) is taken from the Tagalog word “Pelikula” meaning movie, motion picture, or film to feature a specific theme or story.

The films may be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/ dolexclpep and https://ro10. dole.gov.ph/, respectively. (DOLE-10/PIA-10)