The Municipality of Lezo, through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and the Local Youth Development Coordinator, joined the nationwide 30th National Children’s Month celebration on November 30, 2022, at the Saturnino G. Fernandez Memorial Sports and Cultural Center, Poblacion, Lezo, Aklan.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Kalusugan, Kaisipan, at Kapakanan ng Bawat Bata Ating Tutukan,” and it calls for public support to prioritize the availability of necessary interventions to support the mental health and overall well-being of children in the midst of the pandemic.
The activities begin with Mayor Mary Lenette R. Fernandez delivering the State of the Children’s Report, a mass oath-taking of the organized Barangay and Municipal Children’s Association in the municipality’s twelve barangays, and the awarding of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 6 Certificate of Accreditation to twelve (12) Child Development Workers (CDW) and Child Development Centers (CDC).
A forum for children’s participants was also held, addressing issues such as the Rights of a Child, Topic on the Responsibilities of a Child, Good and Bad/Unsafe Touch, Curfew Ordinance, and Motorcycle Safety Ordinance.
The MSWD staff conducted fun team-building activities, which resulted in happy faces and camaraderie among the children from the twelve barangays.
The month of November is designated as National Children’s Month by Republic Act 10661 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on November 20, 1989.
The Philippines has signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the first binding universal treaty solely dedicated to the protection and promotion of children’s rights. (By Ernan T. Baldomero)