CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-10 and World Vision Development Foundation Inc. (WVDFI) strengthened their partnership through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing for a one-year project extension for the promotion, welfare, and protection of children.
DOLE-NorMin Administrative Chief Lucila S. Pulvera, with the authority of Regional Director Erwin Aquino, and WVDFI National Director Rommel Fuerte signed the agreement for the implementation of Project Against Child Exploitation (ACE), which addresses the worst forms of child labor, particularly online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
“From 2020 on, the regional office has been collaborating with WVDI-Project ACE. For the record, ACE is significantly instrumental in the removal of 34,568 profiled child laborers from 2018–2022, particularly OSAEC victim survivors in Cagayan de Oro City as its pilot area,” Pulvera said.
Underscoring the laudable partnership, Project ACE has been supportive of DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program, DOLEkula (Pelikulang DOLE films against child labor), Project Angel Tree, World Day Against Child Labor, tripartite consultations, trauma-informed care, National Children’s Month, information sharing and planning in Vietnam, and other activities developed by the office as interventions and program strategies.
WVDFI National Director Rommel Fuerte said, “The fight against child labor has been there a long time ago but is still happening at present. I wish that every child is free, as I wish the same for everyone to have productive, fruitful, real-time together with able hands to come up with solid plans for 2024 for us to improve and do better.”
The MOA states partnerships to achieve the goals of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor that seek to share respective strengths, experiences, technologies, methodologies, and resources, maintain regular communication, and establish coordination mechanisms at the national and regional levels.
“With its help, community facilitators, organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders were capacitated to address violations of acceptable conditions of work for children with the hope of achieving a child labor-free community,” Pulvera said.
Both parties commit to continuing service delivery by promoting sincere public service for Filipino children and their parents.
Lilia Estillore, the regional director for DOLE-7; Emmanuel Toledo, the chief of the DOLE Cagayan de Oro City Field Office; Ajab-Aram Macapagat; Daphne Culanag, the director of Project ACE; and Ahmma Charisma Satumba, the director of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, all attended the ceremony. (DOLE-10/PIA-10)
