CATBALOGAN CITY—The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is beefing up its campaign against child labor, granting more than P1.2 million in livelihood support to 40 families in this city.
Romeo R. Mabini Jr., program-based coordinator and designated information officer of DOLE Samar, said the beneficiaries were selected based on the child laborer profiling conducted from 2018 to 2022.
He reported that there were 1,659 child laborers in Samar province. By December 2024, this number had dropped to 1,450 due to government programs and interventions, including age-related changes.
Barangay Canlapwas and Barangay 13 are set to benefit from this initiative through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), which follows coordination with the local government unit, as reported by Mabini Jr.
They encourage beneficiaries to focus on agribusiness, wholesale, and retail businesses, including sari-sari stores.
“We could simply say that the programs or services offered by DOLE to prevent and eliminate child laborers here in the province of Samar and those from other agencies are effective,” Mabini Jr. said.
Maila Correche-De Guia, City Government Department Head I, City Cooperatives Officer, and designated PESO manager, reported that livelihood assistance would be implemented in the first quarter.
She mentioned that the family will receive sustainable livelihood assistance instead of the child working, allowing the children to attend school and enjoy their childhood.
“We will continuously support and will not grow tired of providing these services to the people because this is our mission, aside from our core function, and we are happy to do that,” De Guia said.
The DOLE, alongside the City Public Employment Service Office (CPESO) and the local government unit of Catbalogan, supports City Mayor Dexter Uy’s initiatives to combat child labor and enhance community welfare.
(AAC, PIA Samar)
