Cebu City is most child-friendly in CV

Cebu City was once again chosen as the “Most Child-Friendly City” in Region VII by the Council for the Welfare of Children through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“I am so happy. I know we deserved it,” said Cebu City first lady Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, who chairs the Cebu City Task Force for Street Children.

The city’s first lady revealed this development to reporters at the Mactan Cebu International Airport before she and her husband Mayor Tomas Osmeña departed for New York yesterday.

For winning the award in the regional level, Cebu City automatically qualifies for the national search for the most child-friendly city of the country.

Margot said they are expecting to bag the national recognition this year.

Cathy Iso, head of the city’s Department of Social Welfare and Services said that they received a call from DSWD yesterday that the city won the said award.

Iso said that there are several criteria that were set by the CWC such as health, protection, development, participation, among others on the local government unit’s initiatives towards the children.

“You know why we did win? It’s because we are so ahead. Others have to start while we have already finished,” Margot said.

Aside from being the chairperson of the CCTFSC, which leads in the implementation of the city’s program on street children, Margot also heads the Operation Second Chance, the first of its kind facility in the country built primarily for detention of minors who are in conflict with the law.

The first lady however lamented on the recent memorandum circular of the Commission on Audit disallowing local government units to give financial assistance to non-government organizations, whose chairperson or board of directors are in any way related to the approving authority.

With the memorandum, the city is now barred from giving financial assistance to CCTFSC, which is being headed by the mayor’s wife.

For the past several years, the city government has been giving financial assistance to the task force and for this year it has allocated P600,000 for CCTFSC’s operations.

Margot said they are expecting that by next year, the task force will no longer receive any financial assistance from the city.

“But this should not stop us from helping the children. Instead it should teaches us how to be innovative and be creative,” the first lady added. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)