BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) is seeking support for the passage of the Magna Carta for Children (MCC) and Philippine Commission on Children (PCCh) bills.
Elino Bardillon of CWC presented the two bills during the joint inter-agency meeting with the Cordillera Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC) on Tuesday, June 18.
Bardillon said the MCC is a comprehensive children’s human rights law that seeks to advocate for all children in the Philippines and all Filipino children through recognition, protection, fulfillment, and promotion of their rights, especially those belonging to the marginalized sectors of society.
The MCC establishes the Philippine Government’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), codifies existing legislation, and harmonizes it with the provisions of the UNCRC to protect the rights of children. It will also serve as a guide to the policies of the government to protect and fulfill the rights of children.
“It will strengthen ‘yung child-serving institutions of the government, palalakasin po nito ang Council for the Welfare of Children,” Bardillon said.
He added that the MCC provides for the creation of the Philippine Commission on Children, which will replace the CWC, and a separate bill for such was also passed.
The PCCh will address the need to have an enhanced integrated approach to safeguard the welfare of children and ensure compliance with our laws and international commitments, Bardillon said.
“Establishing the PCCh presents a transformative opportunity to unify and optimize our child welfare system, ensuring that evidence-based policies and programs specifically tailored to children’s needs are seamlessly and efficiently implemented across all levels of the government,” he added.
Once approved, the PCCh will have a board of commissioners, a commission secretariat, and regional offices for children.
The PCCh bill was approved in the House Committee on Welfare of Children and was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, while the bill version in the Senate is still pending at the committee level.
Meanwhile, the MCC was filed in both chambers in March 2024 and will be reviewed by the respective committees when sessions resume.
The RSCWC Cordillera agreed to support the said bills through resolutions, which will also be elevated to the Regional Social Development Committee and the Regional Development Council. (DEG-PIA CAR)
