From DILG: Medellin gets Child-Friendly Seal

CEBU, Philippines - After bagging the prestigious “Seal of Good Housekeeping,” the town of Medellin in northern Cebu has earned another distinction, this time, as child-friendly local governance.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government delivered the “Seal of Child-friendly Local Governance” to the town yesterday.

In a phone interview, Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez said he never expected that the town would be given such recognition.

“We were just evalua-ted, but we never aimed for that (award),” he added.

He credited the town’s achievement to their efficient implementation of programs and activities for children and out-of-school youths.

He mentioned the regular feeding programs to improve health, skills trainings and sports activities, which were also undertaken to deter his young constituents from vices.

Medellin is also known for its colorful facilities and municipal building apart from its eco-tourism spots.

DILG in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development conferred the Seal of Child-Friendly Governance to local governments which efficiently deliver social services that promote the welfare of children.

An audit system was adopted by the Council for the Welfare of Children of the DSWD to gauge LGUs’ level of performance in implementing child-friendly programs and instituting measures that promote children’s welfare.

LGUs were assessed based on the reductions in the percentage of the deaths among children below five years old and number of children under six with below normal weights, absence of child labor or percentage reduction in child labor cases, and reduction in the number of children victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

No data, however, was available as of this writing.

Last year, the town was also among the 38 municipalities in the province that received the  Good  Financial Housekeeping (GFH) award, a component of the much-coveted 2014 Seal of Good Local Governance of the DILG. 

At total of 1,676 LGUs were assessed out of 1,714 in the country. The GFH is conferred to an LGU for its adherence to the full disclosure policy and the good practices of accountability and transparency. — (FREEMAN)