World Vision’s Project Against Child Exploitation (ACE) area in Barangay Sauyo, Quezon City reaffirms its commitment to eliminate child labor by establishing a task force against child labor and further capacitating its community to ensure a clear understanding of child labor and its worst forms on April 12, 2024.
The event was organized by Project ACE through a collaboration with the local government of Quezon City that seeks to ensure that Barangay Sauyo’s Task Force ACE understands its roles and responsibilities in implementing its Barangay Ordinance 007 Series of 2023 or an Ordinance Mandating the Creation of Task Force Against Child Exploitation and for Other Related Purposes.
“This is part of empowering the community. Working alongside government agencies through policy advocacy, awareness-raising campaigns, and collaborative partnerships in addressing child labor and its worst forms is important” Project ACE Field Coordinator Joy Rhea Ponce de Leon emphasized.
In addition, the Task Force aims to establish a clear process flow for implementing the ordinance within the barangay to streamline procedures and ensure consistency as well as develop action plans that focus on the effective implementation of Task Force ACE moving forward, outlining specific strategies and objectives to achieve its goals.
Hon. Karina Joyce Quilo-Diaz, Barangay Councilor and Chairperson of the Committee on Women, Children, and Family Relations of Barangay Sauyo mentioned that “we would like to thank our partners from World Vision for their never ending support. Let’s continue to work together and believe that our efforts will come into fruition. As a public servant, my dream is a child-labor-free Barangay Sauyo someday.”
Afterwards, Hon. Quilo-Diaz presented the Salient Provision of Barangay Ordinance 007, Series of 2023 or known as Task Force ACE as part of the process of drafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). While Atty. Raponcel Abueg, Chief of Staff, Liga Ng Mga Barangay, discussed how to develop IRR.
The creation of Task Force ACE was proposed by Barangay Sauyo delegation during the Regional Partners Assessment conducted by Project ACE in Cagayan De Oro City last March 2023. Aside from validating profiled child laborers in their local community, it aims to provide necessary action programs and projects that will support the needs of children exposed to hazardous work.
Barangay officials and community participants also learned about the Task Force ACE’s Process flow chart for reporting and referral of cases of Worst Forms of Child Labor (WFCL) and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OSAEC) which later on served as one of their references in building their commitment and action planning for the barangay.
“I am grateful to Brgy. Sauyo for this initiative in working on the IRR of our barangay ordinance. There are many ordinances that could not be implemented because there is no IRR. We are lucky that we have this in our community because not all barangays have the same policies in their areas. Drafting an IRR is a process and may take time and I am thankful that I have been included in this process,” said Alexander Tanzon, President of Samahang Magkakapitbahay ng Area 6.
Task Force ACE is a sustainability effort of Barangay Sauyo as a result of its strong partnership with Project ACE. Through the capacity building activities conducted with the facilitation of the project, barangay officials will now aim to continue these initiatives and efforts at the barangay level.
Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL 34007-19-75-K. 100 percent of the total costs of the project in the Philippines is financed with United States Department of Labor funds.
