In line with the celebration of National Children’s Month, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will hold its 6th National Children’s Congress (NCC) from November 14-17, 2017 in Metro Manila. Around 88 children-beneficiaries of 4Ps representing the different provinces and Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) nationwide will participate in the congress.
For the past five years, the NCC has served as a venue to promote the spirit of patriotism among children and the youth by encouraging their involvement in nation building.
“The children of today are more aware of issues that deeply concern them and affect their well-being. They are capable of engaging in actions and deliberations that lead to productive measures that aim to elevate the status of children in society. The recommendations the children will make will serve as valuable input which we will consider as we make more efforts to improve the programs and services of the 4Ps program and the Department itself, ” said DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel Leyco.
In 2013, the results of the NCC led to the expansion of the program; one of the recommendations was for the 4Ps program to cover children up until they finish high school or reach the age of 18, whichever comes first. The original design of the program covered only children aged 14 and below.
With this year’s theme, “Mangarap Ka, Batang Pilipino”, the NCC hopes to incite inspiration for Filipino children to continue dreaming despite challenges they face in their respective families, communities, and in Philippine society as a whole.
“Children from poor families are confronted with so many problems such as violence in the home and they are vulnerable to different forms of abuse. To help children overcome these challenges, the government and its agencies such as the DSWD exert effort to make support mechanisms and programs available to them. Our hope is to strengthen the spirit and will of children from poor families and marginalized sectors so that they can be empowered to fight for their dreams and one day realize them. We need to do all that we can to help Filipino children overcome the challenges of poverty so they can one day own their future roles as productive members of their communities and contribute to a better nation,” OIC Leyco concluded.
______________