CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Interior and Local Government is now assessing local government units on their continuous implementation of child-friendly programs and establishment of measures that promote children’s welfare through the 2022 Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA).
DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., in a statement, said that the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. puts a premium on the protection and welfare of Filipino children.
Through the CFLGA, Abalos said, the department is ensuring that LGUs will help build a protective society where children can enjoy their rights by including them in their plans, budget, policies, and services.
Started in 2014, CFLGA is an annual assessment of the performance of cities and municipalities in implementing child-friendly policies, programs, projects, and services.
According to Abalos, LGUs will be assessed based on a set of criteria, including child-friendly facilities in the barangay; budget allocated and utilized for children’s programs; functional local councils for the protection of children (LCPC) with child representation; and children’s participation in the development of programs, projects and activities.
Also being checked are the percentage of fully immunized children; percentage of pregnant adolescents provided with prenatal and postpartum services; percentage of children aged 3-4 provided with early childhood care and development services; percentage of out-of-school children and youth assisted for schooling; and LGU’s management of cases of children in need of special protection.
To pass the audit, LGUs must obtain an overall passing rate of 80% with a minimum required score of 12 each for the Survival, Development, Protection, and Participation categories and 32 points for the Governance category.
Abalos added that an LGU which passes the CFLGA will be granted with the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance (SCFLG) by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) Board.
Abalos further said that passing the CFLGA is the LGU’s passport to being awarded with the highly coveted SCFLG which recognizes LGU efforts towards building a child-friendly Philippines.
“It is a mark of distinction for LGUs who deliver outstanding performance for the well-being of our children,” Abalos said.
The DILG chief further said that the assessment period for the 2022 CFLGA will cover pandemic data and reports, thus, all data requirements and means of verification should be sourced from CY 2021. — GMR (FREEMAN)