THE Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Negros Occidental, in partnership with the Christian Advocates for Justice and Development in Negros Inc., will be holding an advocacy concert in its bid to campaign against child labor in the province on November 21 starting at 7 p.m.

Dubbed "Himig Para sa Kabataan," the concert will be held at the University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod Coliseum.

It will feature one of the country's music industry icons Joey Ayala and his band.

Dole-Negros Occidental, in a press release on November 13, said the concert will serve as the culminating activity of its children's month celebration.

It will also highlight the agency's One Million Batang Malaya Campaign, it said.

Dole, is the lead agency of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL).

Through its banner program called Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP), the agency works on prevention and progressive elimination of child labor through protection, withdrawal, healing and reintegration of child workers into a caring society.

This is in pursuant to the state policy of providing special protection to children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, and against child labor especially its worst forms.

Dole-Negros Occidental said CLPEP addresses the needs of the disadvantaged youth to pursue an academic or technical-vocational, and post-secondary course towards becoming more employable and productive members of the labor force.

It supports human capital build-up by providing the youth with some workplace experience while studying.

Also, it develops the youth's proper work values and ethics through exposure to formal workplace situations and challenges under responsible adult supervision, it added.

The Provincial Field Office of the Dole is asking the support of the public for the said cause.

Concert ticket prices range from P100 to P1, 000 and may be purchased at Cottage Road in Bacolod City.

For inquiries, the agency can be reached through 434-2219.