Governor Lilia G. Pineda will allot P5M to fund the activities on the protection of children from abuse, this she told a big crowd who gathered to witness the recent launch of the Child Abuse Protection Intervention Network (CAPIN) at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in the City of San Fernando.
A staunch advocate of child welfare, the governor said “kaming dalawa ni Vice-Governor Guiao at ang Sangguniang Panlalawigan, ay titiyaking magkakaroon ng mas malaking pondo para sa pagpapatupad ng mga batas sa kapakanan ng mga kabataan”.
She enumerated the following as must do’s in the process of implementing the project: a child and women protection unit in every district hospital in the province; free legal services for children from volunteer lawyers; crisis centers; and continuing training for those involved in the management of child abuse cases.
The grand launch covered four milestones: a provincial code for the welfare of children; a manual of protocols for the management of child abuse cases; women and children protection units in provincial and district hospitals; and the CAPIN.
A product of the close cooperation between the Consuelo Foundation, a non-government organization concerned with the protection and welfare of children, and the provincial government, CAPIN will be implemented provincewide, the first province that will do so, according to the Foundation.
Ray Dean Salvosa, managing director of Consuelo Foundation, Philippine Branch, said “ngayon lang kami nakaramdam ng ganito kalawak na suporta at kooperasyon mula sa isang lalawigan”, as he expressed high hopes for the success of the project’s implementation in Pampanga.
The governor, in turn, thanked the people behind the Foundation and asked “sana patuloy kayong nakasubaybay sa amin” even as she called on all sectors to do their share in ensuring the protection of children from abuse.
She particularly called on officials in the barangays to closely monitor the welfare of children in their areas, referring to them as the frontliners in the project’s implementation, “kung walang pagkilos mula sa inyong hanay, mahihirapan din ang iba upang maipatupad ang mga dapat gawin”.
Assistant Secretary Florita Villar of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that the launch is actually a very special gift for children in the province.
“Natutuwa ako bilang social worker, at isang Kapampangan, na makitang magkaroon ng Code for the Welfare of Children dito sa ating lalawigan” as she observed that the intervention component in the protection of children is already very strong in the province and that “all you need to do is strengthen the protection component”.
Regional Directors Adelina Apostol of the DSWD and Florita Dijan of the DILG, both in Region 3, congratulated the provincial government for the significant undertaking and committed their own agencies’ support for the activities related to it.
Board Member Trina Dizon, Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on women and family and author of the provincial ordinance #547, series of 2012, or the Comprehensive Welfare Code for the Children in the Province of Pampanga, presented its essential provisions such as the implementing mechanisms, survival and development rights of children, protection and participation rights.
She enjoined everyone to make Pampanga a child-friendly and healthy place as she disclosed that most municipalities have issued their own executive orders on CAPIN implementation in their areas while the rest will follow suit.
Dr. Jose Antonio Rivera, head consultant for health services of the province, presented the people from the various agencies involved in the project who had undergone training on the management of child abuse cases. He added that the governor’s involvement in the protection and welfare of children goes back to her early years as mayor of Lubao and has only strengthened over the years.
The governor led in pledging commitment to the project as she reminded everyone to be mindful of their respective roles within the multi-disciplinary team involved in the project’s implementation.
She also turned over copies of the manual of protocols for the management of child abuse cases to Salvosa and Dijan as other provincial officials looked on.
Also present in the event were Board Members Raul Macalino, Monina Laus, Ricardo Yabut, Nestor Tolentino, Cris Garbo, Tarcicio Halili and Fritzie David-Dizon; Mayors Eduardo Guerrero of Floridablanca, Arturo Naguit of Minalin, Romulo Pecson of Magalang, and Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab of Lubao; officials of the PSWDO and the councils for the welfare of children in the various municipalities and barangays in the province. (Eloisa P. Galang, Pampanga PIO)
