What Barangay Officials Can Do

to Set Up a Child-Friendly Locality

Kumilos tayo para sa ikabubuting mga bata ngayon,
huwag na natin itong ipagpabukas.
Ang bawat bata ay habilin sa atin ng Maykapal.
Siya ay ating Hiram na Kinabukasan.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyos Keynote Speech

Say Yes for Children Launch

24 May 2001

Table of Contents
Foreword ................................................................................................. 3
What is a Child-Friendly Barangay? ............................................... 5
What can Barangay Officials do in order to fulfill
these goals? ......................................................................... 6
Why is it important to set up a Child-Friendly Barangay? ..... 9
What are the local institutions that can attend to the
needs and rights of children? .......................................... 9
What other institutions can be motivated to participate in
advocating Child-Friendly commitments ..................13
Why is it necessary to linkk up with civil society and the
private business sector ? ...................................................13
What can be done immediately to respond to
Child-Friendly commitments ? .....................................14
Assessment Instrument to Rate if the Barangay
is Child-Friendly ...............................................................................14
Purpose of the Instrument ...........................................................14
Why is it important to fill up this Instrument? .......................14
Who can accomplish this Instrument? .....................................16
Sources of information to answer the Instrument ..................16
What the Instrument can measure ............................................17
Time frame to gather information ............................................18
How to compute the precentage for Form A .........................18
Table and Forms:
Table 1. Child-Friendly Commitments ................................... 7
Form A. Standards to Rate the Families
in the Barangay ..........................................................19
Form B. Standards to Rate the
Institutions in the Barangay ..................................23
Form C. Form to Rate the Barangay on Sets A and B .....24

FOREWORD
In 1990, the Philippine Government ratified the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC). Since then, it has translated this commitment to a
number of initiatives such as the Philippine Plan of Action for Children for the

1990s under Proclamation No. 672 and Republic Act 8425 which
institutionalized the Philippine Governments Social Reform Agenda and
Poverty Alleviation Program. These initiatives recognized children as a basic
sector distinct from the youth and students.
The Minimum Basic Needs approach made local governments aware of a set
of 33 basic needs of a family, including childrens needs in particular. This list
of needs now serves as reference of municipalities and barangays in local
development planning in keeping with RA 7160 or the Local Government
Code of 1991.
To help implement the programs, local subcommittees for the welfare of
children were created. The Department of Social Welfare and Development
also launched its Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services
(CIDSS) Program.
In year 2000, the Philippines renewed its commitment to the CRC through
the Philippine National Strategic Framework for Plan Development for
Children, or Child 21. Developed by the Council for the Welfare of Children,
the document outlines the goals and strategies to realize the vision of the
Filipino Child within the first quarter of the 21st century. This vision pictures
the Filipino Child as healthy, happy, curious, confident, cooperative and able
to develop his or her full potential and faculties.
Significantly, Child 21 recognized current disparities in the treatment of boys
and girls and prescribed ways to address these. Furthermore, it strengthened
the Philippines commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in combating the
trafficking of and violence against women and girls and in ensuring genderresponsive policies and programs.
Along with the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (1999- 2004),
Child 21 binds national and local governments to synchronize development
plans and operations with the child as the focal beneficiary.
Since 1998 the Council for the Welfare of Children has conducted the Search
for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities to recognize the important role of
local government units in promoting and protecting childrens rights to
survival, development, protection and participation.
The annual search supports a broad-based Child-Friendly Movement towards
the realization of child rights in the Philippines. This Movement will actively
involve children, families, communities, the government, non-government
organizations, the private sector and other members of civil society. The Fifth
Country Programme for Children (CPC V) 1999-2003, a program of
cooperation between the Philippine Government and UNICEF, supports this

movement at all levels of Philippine society. The underlying objective is to

make legislators, local and national executives, the judiciary and program
implementers child-sensitive and thus effectively address the priority
needs of children.
We hope that this booklet would serve as a useful guide in creating childfriendly communities that will help realize the vision of the Filipino child in
the 21st century.
Dr. Dante B. Canlas Hon. Jose D. Lina, Jr.
Secretary Secretary
Socio-Economic Planning and Department of Interior and
NEDA Director-General Local Government
Mr. James Marty L. Lim Dr. Terrel M. Hill
National President Representative
Liga ng mga Barangay UNICEF, Philippines
What can Barangay Officials do in order to fulfill these goals?
Barangay officials can achieve these commitments by ensuring that:
local institutions are set up that are consistent with the needs and rights of
children
basic services are delivered to respond to the needs and rights of children
Table 1. Child-Friendly Commitments
Health
1. All children are registered at birth
2. All infants are exclusively breastfed up to about 6 months
3.
All
children
are
fully
immunized
against
tuberculosis,
diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus, polio and measles.
4. All children 0-2 years old are weighed monthly
5. All children are well nourished
6. All children 1-5 years old are given Vitamin A Capsules 2X a year
Maternal Health
7. All births are attended by trained personnel
8. All pregnant women get at least four complete pre-natal check-ups
9. All mothers are fully immunized against tetanus.
10. All pregnant/lactating mothers are given sufficient doses of Vitamin A and
iron.
11. All pregnant women who are at risk get emergency obstetric care
12. All pregnancies are spaced at least 2 years apart

Education
13. All children 3-5 years old attend early education programs
14. All children 6-17 years old are in school and finish their schooling (both in
elementary and high school)
15. All children graduating in elementary and high school pass the
achievement tests
16. All out-of-school children are given alternative education
17. All illiterate parents/caregivers are enrolled in functional literacy program
Protection
18. All children are removed from exploitative and hazardous labor,
prostitution and pornography
19. All cases of physical and sexual abuse and violence are eliminated in the
home and community
Participation
20. All children 12-17 years old participate in socio-cultural and community
development activities
Family Practices
21. All families have safe drinking water
22. All families use only iodized salt.
23. All families use sanitary latrine
24. All fathers and mothers share in the care and rearing of children.
Why is it important to set up a Child-Friendly Barangay?
This is because like any adult, children have rights to live a decent life. Then
of course, children are the ones most affected in case calamities occur, both
natural (i.e., floods, earthquake, volcanic eruption) and manmade (i.e., wars).
They are the most vulnerable sector but are often left out in development
projects. And yet, children are the most in number and are supposedly, the
hope of the future generation.
It is important, therefore, for all sectors family, government and civil
society to take into consideration the needs and rights of children.
What are the local institutions that can attend to the needs and rights of children?
These include the:
Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC)

 Barangay Development Council

Sangguniang Pambarangay
Sangguniang Kabataan or the youth council
Katarungang Pambarangay
Barangay Health Station
Child Care/Day Care Centers
Primary/Secondary Schools
What can each of the local institutions do to ensure that
Child-Friendly Commitments are fulfilled?
BARANGAY COUNCIL FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
Promote the best interest of the children:
Prepare an annual action plan focused on children, involving the
participation of this sector
Prepare an annual investment plan
Monitor closely the compliance with laws and ordinances on children
Prepare an annual progress report on the situation of children
Document meetings held at least once a month
Install a local information system on childrens condition using the set of
standards in Table 1 or tap existing systems (like Minimum Basic Needs
Information System)
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Ensure the inclusion of child-focused action and investment plan in the
comprehensive development plan to be submitted to the local Sanggunian
Ensure the implementation of child focused development plan
Ensure that an annual progress report is prepared by the BCPC
KATARUNGANG PAMBARANGAY
Be trained on legislations regarding children and in handling children
victims/offenders
Be able to conform with international standards on justice for children

 Install a monitoring system to track increase/decrease in cases pertaining

to children offenders and those victimized
Document activities on the progress of cases received
Prepare an annual progress report on the cases affecting children
SANGUNIANG PAMBARANGAY
Be able to help in monitoring the situation of children and work with the
barangay
Be able to initiate activities that build self-esteem and promote
participation among
children and youth
BARANGAY HEALTH STATION
Train volunteers on Child-Friendly commitments in health
Provide basic resources for health management and service delivery i.e.,
weighing scale, thermometer, BP apparatus, basic supplies for growth
monitoring and health information materials, micronutrient supplements,
oresol, drugs for deworming, iodized salt and immunization
Have an updated data on newborn, malnourished and sick children
Have an updated data on pregnant and lactating mothers
Set up health and nutrition posts for every cluster of 20-30 households