Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Radaza highlights projects for kids
LAPU-LAPU City’s children yesterday asked their mayor to focus on ensuring the education, shelter and protection of street children in the city.
Although the City Government has yet to address other concerns of the children, Mayor Arturo Radaza reported that they have delivered health and nutrition services to the youth.
In his state of the children address yesterday, Radaza enumerated the City’s programs for the children, including a series of pre-natal check-ups, micronutrient supplementation and feeding, immunization, birth registration and registration of children in need of special care.
He also cited the City’s special education program for disabled children and out of school youth.
In his address, the mayor thanked the children for their support for the programs and projects implemented for them.
Radaza delivers his state of the children address annually to update the children about the City’s projects for them and to ask then what their concerns are.
Street children
During the program, Lapu-Lapu City’s Supreme Student Government president Virgil Jamili Catajoy III, 15, urged city officials to make the street children the primary beneficiaries of their projects.
The City, he said, should see to it that ordinances for child welfare and protection are implemented, quality education is provided to the youth and that children who are hooked on illegal drugs are rehabilitated.
He further said that the City should also provide shelter for abandoned children and livelihood program for the parents of street kids.
Yesterday’s activity also served as a venue for the mayor to listen to the concerns of the children, which included drainage problems, school security and unused computers in schools.
City Schools Superintendent Michael Cono and first lady Paz Radaza, also the chairperson of the local council for women, child protection and nutrition, joined the mayor during the forum.
Aside from the city officials, private and public school students from 31 elementary schools and 36 high schools also attended the event.
Computers
The mayor added that the City continues to coordinate with the police, government agencies and non-government organizations to protect the children and rehabilitate those in contact with the law.
Also during the forum, a teacher from Caubian Island complained that their 30 brand new computers remain unused since its delivery last year due to the absence of electricity in the island.
They were promised several times that they will be given a generator set but they have yet to receive it, teacher Elionor Espinosa said.
Cono assured them generator sets will be delivered this month and that fuel supply will also be provided. Radaza promised to provide computers to all high schools, including Caubian, during his state of the children address last year.
A Basak Night High School student asked for a school building and the mayor said he will refer the matter to the school board. (OCP)
