Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns
9/F G.E. Antonino Building, J. Bocobo Street corner T.M. Kalaw Avenue
Ermita, Manila

15 July 2021

MS. MERINETTE RETONA

VERA Files
mretona@verafiles.org

Dear Ms. Retona:

This is with reference to your letter dated 12 July 2021 requesting for information regarding
the current administration’s efforts to address child labor in the country. May we provide you
with our response to the following questions stated in your letter:

 Based on your latest official data, how many Filipino children are child laborers?
Were you able to see a rise or a dip in this number for the past year?

The current official data on child labor in the Philippines is based on the results of the
2011 Survey on Children conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
wherein there were 2.097 million children engaged in child labor. We acknowledge that
there is a need to update this data hence the PSA has included a rider module on child
labor in the Labor Force Survey since 2017. The PSA, however, has not yet officially
released the results.

Thus, we do not have new data to use as basis to say whether there is a rise or dip in
the number of child laborers in the country for the previous years. However, the PSA
will release the results of the rider module on child labor this year as part of the Action
Pledge of the Philippines for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child
Labour.

 In a Feb. 14, 2021 news release of the DOLE, you specifically said that the
government is “bent on removing about 630,000” child laborers from their
condition by 2022. Does this deadline remain?

Yes, the government continues to work to remove at least 630,000 children from child
labor which is approximately 30 percent of the 2.097 million child laborers. This target
is included in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022. However, in the
updated Results Matrix of the PDP 2017-2022, the NEDA informed us that the goal
has been changed to “zero child labor”.

 If yes:

 What is the current status of this goal? How many child laborers were you
already able to free in the past year?

From 2018 to June 2021, the DOLE has already removed 68,629 children from
child labor. The DSWD through the pilot implementation of its SHIELD Against
Child Labor Project from 2017 to 2019 was also able to remove 596 children from
child labor. The International Labour Organization (ILO) through its CARING Gold

Tel. Nos. (02) 8404-3336, 8527-2804, 527-5856, 8527-5857, 8527-3116, 8528-0119; Telefax: (02) 8527-5858, 8527-3097
E-mail: mail@bwsc.dole.gov.ph; Website: www.bwsc.dole.gov.ph
 Mining Project was also able to remove 66 children from child labor from 2017 to
2019.

This brings to a total of 69,291 child laborers removed from child labor by the
DOLE, DSWD, and ILO from 2017 to June 2021.

 What other milestones regarding the elimination of child labor in the country
were you able to achieve in the past year? What ongoing efforts are being
done by the government to reach the 2022 goal?

Profiling of child laborers, referral, and provision of services to remove them

from child labor

The 2011 Survey on Children provided the estimates on the number of child
laborers in the country and its disaggregation by region. However, it did not provide
the location and information on the child laborers which are necessary in order for
interventions to be made for them to be removed from child labor. Thus, to locate
and identify the children who will be removed from child labor, the DOLE initiated
in 2018 under its Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program the profiling of
child laborers in all regions, excluding the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The information gathered during the profiling activity
will serve as basis for the referral of child laborers to appropriate agencies and
organizations for the provision of necessary services.

In 2018, the DOLE was able to tap 1,600 Government Internship Program (GIP)
beneficiaries to serve as enumerators for the profiling of child laborers from June
to December 2018.

For 2019, the DOLE continued the profiling of child laborers by tapping 2,509 GIP
beneficiaries as enumerators. Likewise, to fast track the referral of profiled child
laborers, provision of necessary services, and removal of children from child labor,
and with the increase in the fund allocation for the DOLE Child Labor Prevention
and Elimination Program, the DOLE was able to hire 301 project-based community
facilitators who were assigned in its 16 Regional Offices and 92 Field Offices.
These community facilitators were tasked to supervise the profiling of child
laborers, assess their needs and their families, facilitate the provision of necessary
services and track their progress until they are removed from child labor.

For 2020, the profiling of child laborers was suspended starting March 2020 due to
the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the DOLE still hired 101 project-based
community facilitators who were assigned at its Regional Offices and Field Offices
to continue the assessment of needs of child laborers profiled in 2018 and 2019,
and referral of the needs of the child laborers and their families to appropriate
agencies and organizations for the provision of necessary services. The project-
based community facilitators also followed up the status of the referrals made by
the DOLE in 2018 and 2019, and tracked the overall progress of the child laborers
and their families.

For 2021, the DOLE continued the profiling of child laborers, referral, and provision
of necessary services in order to remove them from child labor. The DOLE hired
864 GIP beneficiaries to serve as enumerators for the profiling activity and
encoders of the data of profiled child laborers starting May 2021. The DOLE also
hired project-based community facilitators who will again be assigned at its
16 Regional Offices and 91 Field Offices. The DOLE aims to profile at least
169,817 child laborers in 2021, and continue the referral, provision of necessary
services, and withdrawal from child labor of all the profiled child laborers since
2018.

From 2018 to June 2021, the DOLE has already profiled 291,800 child laborers,
274,541 of them have already been referred to appropriate agencies and
organizations for the provision of necessary services, and 66,249 have already
been provided with necessary services.

In addition to the profiling of child laborers by the DOLE, the DSWD has also
profiled and assisted 596 child laborers while the ILO has profiled and assisted 265
child laborers from 2017 to 2019. In BARMM, its Ministry of Labor and Employment
with support from the ILO has also profiled 3,000 child laborers since 2020.

Livelihood assistance to parents of child laborers

Aside from the profiling of child laborers, the DOLE also provides livelihood
assistance to parents/guardians of child laborers as a strategic response to prevent
and eliminate child labor. The livelihood assistance provided can be in the form of
Negokart, starter kits, or materials needed to start a livelihood undertaking. Under
the Guidelines on the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment
Program, beneficiaries of livelihood programs of the DOLE should not allow their
children to be engaged in child labor.

In 2020, 6,484 parents/guardians of child laborers were provided with livelihood

assistance which brings to a total of 42,672 the number of parents/guardians of
child laborers provided with livelihood assistance since 2008.

Sagip Batang Manggagawa

Under the Sagip Batang Manggagawa (or Rescue the Child Laborer) quick action
mechanism which employs an inter-agency quick action team, composed of the
DOLE, DSWD and law enforcement agencies as core members for detecting,
monitoring and rescuing child laborers in hazardous and exploitative working
conditions, a total of seven (7) rescue operations were conducted in 2020 wherein
a total of 12 child laborers were removed from hazardous and exploitative working
conditions. This brings to a total of 3,621 child laborers already removed from
hazardous and exploitative working conditions through the conduct of 981 rescue
operations since the inception of Sagip Batang Manggagawa in 1993.

Also two (2) establishments in NCR have been permanently closed by the DOLE
for engaging three (3) children in prostitution or obscene or lewd shows in 2020.
This brings to a total of 69 establishments permanently closed by the DOLE since
Republic Act No. 9231 was enacted into law in 2003.

Project Angel Tree

The DOLE also conducts Project Angel Tree gift-giving activities to provide an
array of social services that range from food, clothing or school supplies made
available by sponsors or benefactors or “angels” to child laborers and their families.

In 2020, there were 9,386 child laborers who were provided with school supplies,
food packs, toiletries and other items donated by civic organizations and private
institutions who acted as “angels” or sponsors of the project. This brings the total
number of beneficiaries to 81,826 from 2006 to December 2020.

SHIELD Against Child Labor Project

The Department of Social Welfare and Development piloted from 2017-2019 the
Strategic Helpdesks for Information, Education, Livelihood, and Other
Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) Against Child Labor Project in Regions
4-A, 5, 8 and 10. This Project will strengthen efforts at the local level through
establishment of helpdesks; development of a local registry on child labor for
referral and convergence of support services; and advocacy and capacity-building.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has made a commitment for
the nationwide implementation of the Project in 16 regions this year as part of the
country’s Action Pledge for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child
Labour.

Labor Inspection

From January to June 2020, the DOLE inspected 10,814 establishments, four (4)
of which have noted violations on Republic Act No. 9231, namely:
o employing a child below 15 years of age;
o engaging children as models promoting pornography in clothing items;
o long hours of work;
o night work prohibition; and
o hazardous work.

Of these four (4) establishments, two (2) are located in the National Capital Region.
One (1) establishment is engaged in wholesale and retail of clothing while the other
is engaged in salon services. Administrative proceedings are currently being
undertaken by the DOLE against these two (2) establishments.

The other establishment is located in the Cordillera Administrative Region and is

engaged in wholesale and retail of food items while the other is located in Region
10 and is engaged in construction. These two (2) establishments have already
corrected their noted violations.

From July to December 2020, the DOLE inspected 3,927 establishments wherein
81.31% are located in Luzon, 6.04% are located in Visayas and 12.66% are located
in Mindanao. The decline in the number of establishments subjected to labor
inspection was mainly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic which posed
restrictions in the conduct of labor inspection and business operation. Inspection
activities were suspended in areas declared under Enhanced Community
Quarantine and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine. Of the 3,927
establishments inspected from July to December 2020, the DOLE found no
violation on Republic Act No. 9231.

Criminal Law Enforcement

Under Republic Act No. 9231, one of the worst forms of child labor is the
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. From January to June 2020, there
were seven (7) children involved in armed conflict, two (2) of them were charged
with illegal possession of explosive devices but were released by a Family Court
and ordered to be transferred to the DSWD for custody pending trial.

Online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) is also considered a worst form of

child labor if the child was used, procured, offered, or exposed for the production
of pornography or for pornographic performances. The DOJ Office of Cybercrime
(DOJ-OOC) reported that from 1 March to 24 May 2020, there were 279,166 cases
of OSEC using data from U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children as opposed to 76,561 cases during the same period in 2019 which
translates to an increase of 264.63 percent. The DOJ-OOC clarified that not all
these reports are categorized as actual cases of OSEC in the Philippines as these
are merely made available to the appropriate law enforcement agency for further
review and potential investigation.

On 21 May 2018, a Regional Trial Court in Manila convicted two (2) operators of a
KTV bar for employing two (2) female minors as Guest Relations Officer in violation
of Republic Act No. 9231. The two (2) operators were each sentenced to 12 years
and 1 day to 14 years and 8 months of imprisonment and each of them to pay the
victim who pursued the case a fine of PHP100,000.00. This was affirmed by the
Court of Appeals in its decision dated 28 November 2019 and its Resolution dated
25 June 2020 denying the Motion for Reconsideration filed by the accused.

On 10 March 2020, a Regional Trial Court in Cebu City sentenced a man to

31 years of imprisonment for the crime of attempted trafficking under Republic Act
No. 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), as amended, after plea bargain
agreement. The investigation revealed that the man sexually abused two (2) boys
to produce child sexual abuse materials which he distributed to foreign sex
offenders, and also sold young boys to foreigners traveling to Cebu.

Advocacy

Raising awareness on child labor is also crucial to address child labor in the
country. Thus, advocacy activities are being regularly conducted by DOLE and the
National Council Against Child Labor as well as social partners.

Since 2020, virtual platforms have been utilized for the conduct of advocacy
activities due to the restrictions brought by pandemic. Through the Batang Malaya
social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube), different
child labor-related information, education, and communication (IEC) materials are
being shared to the public such as webinars and video presentations; infographics
on the Batang Malaya campaign and laws and policies related to child labor; press
releases and photo news on the implementation of the DOLE Child Labor
Prevention and Elimination Program such as the provision of livelihood assistance
to parents of child laborers and Project Angel Tree gift-giving activities; and articles
and infographics on various child labor-related initiatives of National Council
Against Child Labor member-agencies and other social partners.

The DOLE also developed these online IEC materials – together with other
infographics about child labor, Philippine Program Against Child Labor, National
Council Against Child Labor, Sustainable Development Goals, international
instruments on child labor – into pop-up display, exhibit panels, roll-up banners,
and 2021 planner which will be used for intensifying advocacy against child labor
for 2021 and succeeding years.
 World Day Against Child Labor

One of the major advocacy activities is the annual commemoration of World Day
Against Child Labor (WDACL). Every year, the Philippines joins the international
observance of World Day Against Child Labor to raise awareness on the plight of
child laborers and to demonstrate the country’s solidarity in the worldwide
campaign against child labor.

The National Council Against Child Labor and social partners conduct various
awareness-raising activities, interactive activities and contests for children, gift-
giving for child laborers and children at risk, awarding of livelihood grants to parents
of child laborers, among others.

For the 2020 celebration of WDACL, the global theme was “COVID-19: Protect
Children from Child Labour, now more than ever!” and the local theme was
“COVID-19 Sugpuin, Batang Manggagawa Sagipin”. Due to the COVID-19
pandemic, online advocacy activities for the celebration of 2020 WDACL were
conducted such as virtual information dissemination and contests (Slogan Making,
Greeting Card, Poster Making, Essay Writing, and Jingle Making) for Filipino
children and youth highlighting the local theme.

For 2021, the global theme is “Act now to end child labour!” which focuses on the
actions being undertaken for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child
Labour to accelerate progress for the achievement of Target 8.7 of the Sustainable
Development Goals set to end child labor in its all forms by 2025. The theme for
the Philippine celebration is “Makibahagi, Makialam, at Magkaisa para sa
#BatangMalaya”.

For this year’s celebration, a series of online activities from May to June 2021 was
conducted such as training for children and youth advocates against child labor,
spoken word poetry contest for children and youth, talk shows featuring child labor,
storytelling sessions about child rights, and dissemination of video statement of
support from the member agencies of the National Council Against Child Labor and
social partners as well as other information materials on child labor.

The DOLE Regional Offices also conducted various awareness-raising activities

on child labor-related concerns such as virtual social media campaign that featured
audio-visual presentations on regional child labor situation, child labor-related
programs and activities, statement of support from partners, and call to action
against child labor, film festival, webinars on child rights and child labor, multimedia
arts contests, Project Angel Tree gift giving, and distribution of livelihood
assistance to parents of child laborers.

 What challenges did you encounter / are you currently encountering as you
work toward this goal?

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed great difficulty in achieving the target of
removing children from child labor. The economic and labor market shock brought
by the pandemic can push more families into poverty which could lead to an
increase in child labor.

Likewise, due to the restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are
difficulties in going to communities and monitoring the status of the child laborers.
  If not, when is your new deadline? What drove you to change the initial deadline?

Admittedly, the number of children being removed from child is far behind the target.
However, the DOLE and the National Council Against Child Labor as well as social
partners continue to do its best in locating the child laborers and providing services to
them and their families. The campaign against child labor will be pursued in the
succeeding administrations until the vision of a child labor-free Philippines is achieved.

 What other targets has your bureau/department set with regard to the
elimination of child labor?

Aside from the PDP 2017-2022, the elimination of child labor in the country is also a
commitment of the DOLE and the National Council Against Child Labor as well as
social partners as a contribution to the achievement of Target 8.7 of the Sustainable
Development Goals which aims to eliminate all forms of child labor by 2025.

For 2021, the DOLE has committed to provide livelihood assistance to at least 2,289
parents/guardians of child laborers. The TESDA will also provide skills training to 2,603
parents/guardians/older siblings of profiled child laborers.

We hope that you will find our responses helpful.

Very truly yours,

ATTY. MA. KARINA PERIDA-TRAYVILLA

Director IV