Iloilo City to share initiatives for children during pandemic

By Lilibeth A. French 

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas will share the initiatives undertaken by the city government for the protection and concerns of children during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19).

Department of Social Welfare and Development 6 Focal Person on Children Raji Alvarado said Treñas will join Baguio City mayor Benjamin Magalong in a webinar entitled “PandeMIC Check: The Local Experiences in Protecting Children and their Rights During the COVID -19 Pandemic” today, Nov 4, 2020, at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

Alvarado said all local chief executives in the country were invited to take part in the webinar which will be streamed live through the facebook pages of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children-Western Visayas and Department of Social Welfare and Development Western Visayas as part of the 2020 National Children’s Month celebration this November.

Organized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and CWC, the two-hour webinar aims to share the local initiatives or actions to protect and address the concerns of children and their families during the pandemic, the challenges or the gaps that they encountered, and recommendations on how to appropriately respond to pandemic like COVID-19.

Alvarado said although older adults with co-morbidities are at higher risk for COVID-19 but children are also at risk from the disease, citing the Department of Health 6 data indicating that 67 children in Western Visayas have contracted the disease with one death, as of August this year.

Considering the pandemic, she said, the month-long NCM celebration intends to intensify public awareness on upholding the right of children as it embraces the theme Sama-samang Itaguyod Ang Karapatan ng Bawat Bata sa Panahon ng Pandemya!

In Western Visayas, a virtual ceremony will be held to kick off the celebration on Thursday, November 5, starting at 1 p.m.

Hosted by the Iloilo City government, the event will feature the recitation of the Panatang Makabata, a media briefing and a press conference.

This year, Alvarado said the NCM observance shall use the quad media as a tool in educating the public on children’s rights and related issues and concerns in compliance with the minimum health standards. (PIA)