Upward trend for Filipino children

Is the Filipino children’s situation better as the world celebrates the 25th year of the Convention of the Rights of the Child? Yes, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said at a celebration held Nov. 20 before a wide group of children and adults.

“For 25 years, we have endeavored to create a safe and nurturing environment for our country’s children,” said Soliman.

The same improved condition of children is reported to have taken place around the world since the adoption of the CRC, a United Nations human rights treaty outlining the distinct rights of children.

The CRC is the first legally binding code of child rights in history, adopted by the UN General Assembly on Nov. 20, 1989, and coming into force on Sept. 2, 1990 with four guiding principles: nondiscrimination, best interest of the child, survival and development, and respect for the views of the child. One hundred ninety four States have ratified the Convention, with the Philippines becoming the 31st state to ratify it.

UNICEF Philippine representative Lotta Sylwander praised Philippine efforts to upgrade the Filipino child’s situation. However, as Soliman also said, there are still areas that need to be improved. “The rights and wellbeing of children must be at the heart of sustainable development planning that the government agrees to for the coming years and decades,” said Sylwander. “We envision a Philippines where ALL children’s rights are realized equitably – including those who are disadvantaged.” We call on duty bearers to ensure that sufficient resources are invested and child-friendly laws are enforced down to the barangay level.”

Special participants at the celebration were children carrying placards of their rights, two young girls – Norisa Sabirin, representing the National Anti-Poverty Commission, and Kiana Gualberto, a Haiyan/ Yolanda survivor – delivering remarks, and the Mandaluyong Children’s choir singing spiritedly. To brighten the occasion some more, celebrity Gary Valenciano, who is a deservedly UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, rendered children’s songs.

Of the gains made to ensure Filipino children’s enjoyment of rights, Soliman cited 47 laws passed touching on survival, development, protection and participation.

Government expenditures for children, reported Soliman, grew by 15 percent on the average from 2007 to 2012. Multi-dimensional poverty reduction agenda included poverty reduction and social safety nets, the Pantawid Pamilya, universal health program and the K to 12 educational system.

On abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect of children, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has put up community-based and center-based programs and services to cater to child victims of abuse; the Philippine National police has established a Violence Against Women and Children Protection Desk and family courts.

On health, under five mortality rate has decreased, from 34 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2008 to 31 in 2013. Immunization of infants and children is mandatory.

On administration of juvenile justice, the minimum age of criminal responsibility has been raised from nine years old to 15 years old; hailed is the creation of the Juvenile Justice Welfare Council.

The challenges for the Philippines in fulfilling the Convention include: Low school attendance and cosmopolitan rates; the low minimum age of sexual consent, which is now pegged at 12 years old; law reforms to prohibit the use of corporal punishment, protective services for victims of human trafficking, child labor, child protestation, child pornography and domestic violence; full implementation of the Milk Code; a national comprehensive plan for children affected by disasters.

A major challenge is reduction of poverty; one in three Filipino children (35.2 percent) live below the poverty threshold. There is between 49-64 percent child poverty in the six regions in Mindanao. “The Millennium Development Goal on the reduction of poverty by 2015 is unlikely to be met,” said Soliman.

Sylwander said, “Inequity is a challenge that must be further addressed in the Philippines because the rights of children are the foundation of a strong and just society. Realizing the rights of every child demands innovative solutions, creative ideas and fresh thinking. No child can be left behind.”

An environment group, Bangon Kalikasan Ecology Centers (BKEC), recently completed planting some 30,000 culms or stems of bamboo in Sitio Toyang, Barangay Laiban, municipality of Tanay, under the national greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with Director Ricardo Calderon as coordinator, through its provincial environment and natural resources office (PENRO) in Rizal, under Raymundo Crisostomo.

Laiban is a rural barangay in Tanay, a part of the Sierra Madre mountain range and watershed, and has come to be known as the proposed site of a dam to serve the potable water needs of Metro Manila. With strong opposition from various groups to the proposal of the Metropolitan Water Sewerage System (MWSS), as it would inundate almost 30,000 hectares of the watershed and displace more than 3,000 families, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved only the Kaliwa Low Dam component of the proposed project, while the Laiban Dam and Laiban Hydro Electric Powerplant components were shelved, possibly for future construction. Some residents, however, were given to understand that there would be no such added construction in the future because Laiban is within the influence area of the Marikiina Valley Fault.

All is not lost for the Laiban folk. They have instead embarked on an ecological/environmental project – the planting of bamboo. Joey Papa, president of BKEC, told this writer his group is advocating and promoting the growing of the grass in line with their focus on the ecological management of resources for environmental protection, natural resources conservation, and judicious use of these resources for economic benefits as the threat of global warming and climate change looms larger.

Bamboo is not yet popular the national greening program (NGP) of the government, under Executive Order No. 26 which President Aquino signed on Feb. 24, 2011. One reason perhaps, says Papa, “is that bamboo is a grass, not a tree, and reforestation or afforestation usually means trees, while bamboo in the NGP is intended mainly for riverbanks.”

A study by the bamboo industry cluster of the Department of Trade and Industry, however, says bamboo is one of the most versatile, and perhaps the fastest growing plant. Bamboo releases 35 percent more oxygen than any other plant; the biomass from bamboo forest stores some 40-45 percent for carbon, and an acre of bamboo can sequester 25 tons of carbon dioxide per year, compared to only 6 tons from a young forest.

Carbon credits, according to the study, trigger creation of marginal bamboo plantations for processing, jobs and wealth generation. It is highly suitable for cultivation specifically for pro-poor development. Demand for traditional bamboo products such as handicrafts, blinds and bamboo shoots remains strong in the world market, flooring, building products and laminated future are the emerging bamboo markets today. These represent the largest growth opportunities for the bamboo industry.