40,000 children benefit from QC child welfare

The Quezon City government’s child welfare program has benefited more than 40,000 children in urban poor areas in the last two years.

Based on reports from the city’s department of social services and development, the child care program launched by Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has addressed nutrition, early childhood education as well as intervention for abused children.

"From 2002 to 2003, 44,030 children have been assisted, with 277,728 of them receiving assistance in the first six months of the year 2003," the report stated.

Also included in the program is the renovation of the Molave Youth Home at the city hall compound, which provides care for youth offenders.

The child welfare program of the city government has also generated support from Bayan Muna partylist group, which has allocated P1.7 million for psycho-social services for abused children.

The Quezon City Council approved last week a resolution, authored by Councilor Ariel Inton Jr., authorizing Belmonte to enter into a memorandum of agreement with Bayan Muna and the Children Rehabilitation Center (CRC) to provide the necessary assistance to abused and battered children.

The CRC, a duly registered non-government organization based in Project 4, has been helping the city government provide psycho-social services for distressed, disadvantage and indigent residents of Quezon City. — Perseus Echeminada