Out of the 1,176 local government units (LGUs) identified eligible for the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance (SCFGL) for 2016, a total of sixty-three (63) municipalities and two (2) cities are from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
This is the result of the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA) done during the 2nd quarter of 2016. The said audit is spearheaded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).
“For a city or municipality to be conferred with the SCFLG, the LGU needs to undergo an assessment process which includes table validation and field assessment conducted by various bodies,” DSWD-CAR OIC Regional Director Janet P. Armas said.
LGUs vying for the recognition are required to do a self-assessment focusing on the provision of programs and services to children, advocacy and observance of children’s rights and the integration of these in their local policies. LGUs that pose a score not lower than 75% undergo a verification process done by the members of the Regional Inter-Agency Monitoring Task Force (RIMTF) composed of representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd), (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The result of this assessment is then provided to the Regional Secretariat of the Council for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC) under the DSWD. The RSCWC transmits this to the CWC for further assessment.
For 2016, there are ten (10) municipalities and Baguio City from Benguet Province that have been conferred the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance. There are 23 municipalities in Abra, 5 in Apayao, 7 municipalities and Tabuk City in Kalinga, 10 from Ifugao and 8 from Mountain Province that also received the seal.
The municipality of Sablan in Benguet Province under the 4th to 6th Class Municipality Category and Baguio City for Highly Urbanized City Category were able to reach the minimum 85% score and land in the top four of the list in the region, qualifying them to be assessed for the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC). Also included in the top list are Tabuk City, Kalinga for the Component City Category and the municipality of Rizal (Liwan), Kalinga under the 1st to 3rd Class Municipality Category. The aforementioned municipalities are also considered as the regional winners for the said categories.
LGUs that are conferred with the Presidential Award will receive a project worth P 500,000. The winning LGU will be allowed to submit a project proposal focusing on capacity building activities, purchase of equipment and supplies, innovation projects, monitoring, evaluation, and documentation of child-related projects. Meanwhile, regional winners will also be granted P 50,000-worth of project.
On the other hand, assessment of potential conferees of the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance for 2017 has already started.
By Nerizza Faye G. Villanueva
