Davao’s Social Services and Development chief Maria Luisa T. Bermudo says the most child friendly award received by the city on Monday, September 26, is a fruit of the collective effort of all city government departments, civil society organizations (CSOs), people’s organizations and barangays. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines– The City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) insisted that former Davao City mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte was not the reason why the city bagged the Most Child-friendly City award this year.
CSSDO Chief Maria Luisa T. Bermudo said the award it got on Monday, September 26, “is a fruit of the collective effort of all city government departments, civil society organizations (CSOs), people’s organizations and all the 182 barangays”.
Bermudo said that Davao City’s effort as the “prime mover” of the Children’s Welfare Code was key for the city to be a hall of famer on the most child friendly city award.
“It’s already a landmark, it has become the basis of the other cities and municipalities to create their own children welfare act,” she said.
The Children’s Welfare Code is “an ordinance providing for a comprehensive children and family support system in Davao City, and for other purposes.”
She said the evaluation to qualify as the most child friendly city was done last December 2015 and was supposed to be awarded on April 2016. However, due to the Presidential elections, the schedule of the awards was moved this month.
Bermudo said that the evaluators are also from the national offices, specifically from the National Council for Child Welfare, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and representatives from CSOs here.
“We are actually making a follow up since we already anticipated that it was almost election already, they said that they can’t make a schedule with former President Benigno Aquino III,” she said.
Bermudo said that they were informed in a short notice that the award will pursue.
“It was a short notice for us to send a representative since we still have to request for the approval or authority to travel,” she said.
On Monday September 26, President Rodrigo Duterte presented the award to the officials of Davao in Malacañang.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said that the award was a proof of positive results from the programs and projects intended for the protection of the rights and welfare of the children of the city.
“Let us keep responding to the pressing needs of our children to be educated, fed, clothed, and provided with a safe home,” the Mayor said.
The City bagged the same award on the years, 1998, 1999, 2013, and 2014, making it a hall of famer. (davaotoday.com)
