ILOILO CITY - Child laborers in the Visayas are calling on the government to implement more children-oriented programs and services to address the growing number of children forced to work.

In a statement issued on Tuesday at the culmination of the First Visayas-Wide Children's Congress here, 142 child laborers urged government to provide them more access to education, alternative livelihood programs for their parents and stricter implementation of laws on children.

These calls were part of a 14-point recommendation drafted by participants to the three-day Congress organized by the ABK (Pag-Aaral ng mga Bata para sa Kinabukasan) Initiative.

ABK Initiative, funded by the US Department of Labor, is a four-year project, which runs from 2003-2007, and implemented in the country by the National Coalition of Children's Participation. Children aged 10-16 years old joined workshops and cultural programs to share their experiences as child laborers in Negros Occidental, Oriental Negros, Cebu and Iloilo.

"As poverty in our country worsens, the number of child laborers is increasing. Many of us are among those subjected to the worst forms of child labor," the children said in their statement in Filipino.

They also said many of their fellow children are forced to sell their bodies to stave off hunger.

"We have observed that the government cannot fulfill its obligation to care for our rights and welfare as children," they added. They also pointed out that laws supposed to protect their rights and punish those who abuse them are not being implemented.

The Visayas has among the highest number of child laborers in the country.

There are about 388,000 child laborers in Central Visayas and 349,000 in Eastern Visayas.

The two regions are next only to Southern Tagalog which has 461,000 based on the 2000 survey of the International Labor Organization and National Statistics Office.

The Department of Labor and Employment said there are about 329,000 child laborers in Western Visayas.

Among those who are working at a young age is 14-year-old Revanuie Jane Dequito, from Ajuy town Iloilo.

Dequito has been helping her mother sell shrimp paste at the neighboring town of Sara since she was nine years old.

She spends her Saturdays at their stall in the town market from 5 to 11 a.m. and gets P20 for her school allowance.

"It is hard at times but I have to help my family," Dequito said in an interview.

The worst forms of child labor exists in sugarcane plantations, pyrotechnic production, mining and quarrying, deep-sea fishing, commercial and sexual exploitation and domestic work, ABK Initiative said in an information sheet.

The children recommended the organization and activation of Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children.

The BCPC, headed by the barangay captain, is mandated to plan for programs and activities for children. It has counterparts in the municipal, city and provincial levels.

But many of the BCPCs do not function after they were formed, noted Joy Valla of the Department of Interior and Local Governments in Western Visayas.

Valla said that out of 4,049 barangays in Western Visayas only 336 or, 8 percent have functional BCPCs.

"Many officials do not see the importance of the BCPCs because they believe that children do not need specific programs as they also benefit from other programs of the barangay," Valla said.

Lawyer and Bacolod City Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue said many politicians "trivialize" issues dealing with children. She urged the children and the NGOs to identify child rights advocates among government officials.

Sigue said there should also be a massive campaign to disseminate Republic Act 9231 or, the "Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act" which was enacted in 2003.

"This is a relatively new law and the public should know that they could be jailed if they subject children to child labors," said Sigue.

Daphne Culanag, ABK Initiative director, said making education accessible is essential in addressing child labor problems.

It also demands changes on the attitudes of parents and society on the harmful impacts of child labor on the development and growth of children, said Culanag.*

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