“The Marcos Jr. administration remains steadfast in prioritizing the elimination of child labor in the country,” Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma has said.
“Under Chapter 3 of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the target for the indicator “number of child laborers” is zero,” the Labor chief added.
The DOLE underscored that based on the report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Marcos Jr. administration has successfully decreased the number of child laborers in the country in just over one year in office from June 30, 2022 to October 2023 (the coverage of the latest PSA report).
According to the Special Release on Working Children Situation published by the PSA on November 20, 2024, the number of reported working children 5 to 17 years old engaged in child labor in the country decreased from 935,000 in October 2021 to 828,000 in Oct. 2022. It further went down to 678,000 in Oct. 2023.
The DOLE said that out of the 327,194 child laborers monitored by the agency in 2023, a total of 188,238 were validated as already removed from child labor. This, the DOLE said, is a result of the Marcos Jr. administration’s initiatives as implemented by the labor department.
PSA report shows decrease in child laborers
The PSA Special Release on Working Children Situation report released on 20 November 2024 noted the following:
Child Laborers in the Country Decreased in 2023
Child labor refers to working children who were engaged in the following activities:
Hazardous Work (Hazardous Child Labor) or activities likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children (as identified in the Department of Labor and Employment Department Order No. 149, Series of 2016 – Guidelines in Assessing and Determining Hazardous Work in the Employment of Persons Below 18 years of Age);
Work by children below 15 years of age that is more than 20 hours a week or more than four hours at any given day or between eight o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning of the following day (Sec. 12-A, paragraphs (1 and 3) of RA No. 9231); and
Work by children 15 to 17 years of age that exceeds 40 hours a week or more than eight hours a day or between 10 o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning of the following day (Sec. 12-A, paragraphs (2 and 3) of RA No. 9231).”
Working children who were engaged in child labor was estimated at 678,000 in 2023. This was lower than the reported number of working children who were engaged in child labor in 2022 at 828 thousand and in 2021 at 935 thousand.
A good track record
Laguesma said the report of the PSA highlighted the strides made by the administration of President Marcos Jr. through the DOLE for a child labor-free Philippines.
He said, “The DOLE is inspired by the results of the survey which is a strong indication that we are seeing positive results in our efforts and programs undertaken, with the collaboration of the other departments of government and private sector members of the National Council Against Child Labor (NCACL), chaired by the DOLE, to resolve child labor.”
“We will continue to intensify and strengthen our intervention and delivery of assistance to further minimize and hopefully eliminate child labor in the country and reduce the number of working children,” he added.
Secretary Laguesma explained that “working children are different from child laborers.” He said, “Working children 15 years old and above can work, but they cannot work under hazardous environments. They must also have consent from their parents or guardians,” he noted.
“Child labor has none. So, it’s prohibited,” he pointed out.
DOLE, in its 2024 Accomplishment Report, highlighted the following major points:
Sitting as the chair of the NCACL, the DOLE has implemented programs to help the parents and families of the child laborers through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, job placement/employment facilitation, skills training, financial assistance, medical assistance, housing assistance, and inclusion in the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Other services include educational assistance, medical assistance, legal assistance, counselling, birth registration, feeding programs, as well as giving school supplies, hygiene kits, and food packs through Project Angel Tree.
From 2023 to September 2024, out of the 327,194 child laborers monitored by the DOLE, a total of 188,238 have been removed from child labor. This was further validated by the PSA survey.
Source: DOLE
According to DOLE, “Project Angel Tree provides an array of social services that range from food, clothing, educational assistance, or school supplies, including work and training opportunities from sponsors or benefactors (referred to as angels) to child laborers and their families. It aims to improve child laborers’ and their families’ economic and social conditions and increase the number of allies and advocates of child labor prevention and elimination.”
An array of interventions
Secretary Laguesma said that in alignment with President Marcos Jr.’s directive, the DOLE continues to implement programs to help the parents and the families of the child laborers.
The NCACL, with members from the workers, employers, and non-government organizations, and through its regional counterparts Regional Councils Against Child Labor, spearheads the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2023-2028.
The vision of a child-labor free Philippines is anchored in this development plan, as well as in the ASEAN Roadmap on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2025. It is also anchored on the Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development mandating it to take immediate measures to end child labor by 2025.
Secretary Laguesma pointed out that as its contribution to the program, the DOLE has been implementing the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program that employs multi-layered strategies to solve the issue.
Acknowledging that poverty as a main driver of child labor in the country, the department has boosted its flagship program to combat poverty, the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, or DILEEP. It is a direct service to the families of child laborers to remove the children from child labor.
Parents of child laborers (PCLs) express gratitude
Parents of child laborers have expressed gratitude to DOLE and President Marcos Jr. for giving them livelihood project starter kits.
One beneficiary is “Aling Morena” from Mabitac municipality in Laguna, who received on November 28, 2024 from DOLE a yema and pastillas-making package. Aling Morena has been taking care of her grandchildren who were abandoned by their mother. Her grandson, a profiled child laborer, used to sell yema and resorted to scavenging at times. She said, “Sobrang saya ko po dahil isa po kami sa nabigyan ng ganitong biyaya, napakalaking tulong po nito sa amin.” said “Aling Morena, as she thanked DOLE and President Marcos Jr.”.
Lyn of Talisay, Camarines Norte, a mother of four and a parent of a child laborer, said that her primary source of income was selling bananas harvested from their small farm, often transported by an old bicycle. She narrated, “Sobrang naapektuhan po ang aming tanim at natumba ang mga puno ng saging dahil sa bagyong Kristine.” Severe Tropical Storm Krsitine impacted Camarines Sur last October 2024. Lyn received DOLE’s livelihood assistance in November, which included a new bicycle with a sidecar, allowing her to resume her banana sales without additional costs for delivery. She said, “Malaking tulong po ito para hindi na kami magbubuhat at magbabayad sa magde-deliver ng aming paninda. Maraming salamat po sa DOLE at kay Pangulong Marcos.”
Beneficiary M. Ingay of Rizal, Cagayan, said, “Dahil sa kahirapan, napipilitan ang aking anak na magbanat ng buto sa murang edad. Ngunit sa tulong ng DOLE, kami ay nabigyan ng mga kasangkapan upang magsimulang mag-negosyo. Sa halip na nasa bukid ay magkakaroon na ng oras makapag-laro at makapag-aral ang aking anak. Maraming salamat po, DOLE at PBBM.”
- Razo, a nail technician in Pio Duran, Albay who received DOLE assistance for her livelihood, said, “Thank you DOLE and President Bongbong Marcos, kasi dinagdagan nyo ang aking mga kagamitan sa paghahanapbuhay. Dahil po dito ay madadagdagan ang aking magiging customers.
Monitoring of child laborers
For 2023 to 2024, the DOLE prioritized the monitoring of the status of child laborers profiled in 2022 to track their status and hasten interventions to take them away from child labor.
For 2023 to September 2024, the DOLE monitored 327,194 child laborers, with 272,821 assisted through DOLE programs and by other agencies. Of this number, 235,740 were further referred for assistance, 99,675 were provided with services, and 188,238 were validated as removed from child labor. The families of these child laborers were also provided with various services.
The DOLE has also been strengthening advocacy activities that provide knowledge and awareness on child labor such as the publicly-accessible Batang Malaya Child Labor Knowledge Sharing System website https://batangmalaya.ph.
The Batang Malaya website includes a feature on reporting child labor incidence, issuance of policies related to child labor, enforcement of anti-child labor laws including prioritization of establishments employing children for inspection.
It also includes the Sagip Batang Manggagawa inter-agency quick action mechanism for cases requiring the immediate removal of child laborers from establishments, capacity-building for duty-bearers, and provision of services that caters child laborers and their families. This includes the national service caravans that provides direct services from the DOLE and its partner agencies.
Secretary Laguesma underscored that to ensure the continuing promotion of rights and welfare of children, the DOLE, with the guidance and leadership provided by President Marcos Jr., is firm in its pledge to remain true to the fight against child labor and steadfast in the commitment to implement a holistic and multi-stakeholder approach to eradicate child labor.
All these, the DOLE chief said, contribute toward the realization of the rights of every child to be a “Batang Malaya – malayang maglaro, makapag-aral, maging ligtas at malusog, malaya mula sa mapang-abusong trabaho, at malayang maging bata.” Indeed, the child is happiest when he lives in a world that is free.
