Mexico council enacts Children Welfare Code

MEXICO, Pampanga --- This town is now taking pride in calling itself a child-friendly municipality.

This after the enactment of an ordinance called “THE CHILDREN’S WELFARE CODE OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MEXICO,” penned by the town’s two lady councilors, Trina T. Dizon and Lourdes G. Sicat.

The Code was introduced to the public on October 19 in time with the Children Welfare Week Celebration.

Approved by Mayor Teddy C. Tumang last October 15, the Code ensures the rights of children to survival, protection, participation and development.

“These are the core rights of children we must be give high priority on,” Dizon and Sicat said.

Under the Code a Municipal Council for the Protection of Children will be established. Its membership will include the mayor as chairman; and the Sangguniang Bayan chairpersons of the Committee on Women, Children and Family, Health, and Education.

The Council, as an integral part of the implementation of the ordinance, will see to it that is: fosters education of every child in every barangay; encourages the proper performance of duties of parents and provide learning opportunities on the adequate rearing of children and on positive parent-child relationship; protects and assists abandoned, maltreated and abused children and monitor cases filed against child abusers and report the same; and, protects working children from abuse and exploitation, among others.

To sustain its operation, the council will be given an allocation one percent of the annual municipal budget or thru a supplemental budget.

Barangay councils will also be given active role in the protection of children’s rights, the authors said.

Under the Code, the municipal government is also mandated to establish the programs and initiatives to contribute to the survival and development of the children such as the sustained monitoring of registration of births and completion of the immunization series for the prevention of tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertusis, tetanus, measles, polio myelitis, hepatitis and such other diseases for which vaccines have been developed for administration to children up to six years of age.

The local government unit will also have to provide facilities where children of working parents can be taken cared of during the day, and whenever feasible, a facility where children up to six years of age of parents working at night can be taken care of during the night.

Strict implementation of the ASIN LAW in the town will also follow after the passage of the Code. A fine of up to P5,000, plus one year imprisonment will be meted to violators of the law that requires the use of iodized salt by either a salt producer, manufacturer, importer or trader that uses salt in their business.

The authors said the protection of the children is a must in every locality that is eyeing genuine development in the future. (By Albert B. Lacanlale)