ILOILO City bagged various major awards for the promotion and advancement of children's rights and development during the Western Visayas Regional Awarding and Conferment of 2018 Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance at District 21 Hotel in Iloilo on November 6, 2019.

Cited as national qualifier of 2018 Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC) under Highly-Urbanized City Category, Iloilo City is vying against three finalists for the recognition set in Manila later this year.

Iloilo City was conferred with the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance 2018 for passing the audit. It was also recognized as back-to-back 2017-2018 regional winner of PACFMC.

The event kicked off the 2019 National Children's Month Celebration with a theme: "Karapatang Pambata: Patuloy na Pahalagahan at Gampanan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan."

It was spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and members of Western Visayas-Regional Inter-Agency Monitoring Task Force composed of Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children (RSCWC), National Economic Development Authority (Neda), Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and SignPost International.

Mayor Jerry P. Treñas commended members of the Iloilo City Council for the protection of children; 180 punong barangays and barangay councils for the protection of children; and advocates, partners and stakeholders for the successful endeavors that benefit the Ilonggos.

The PACFMC criteria include health and nutrition – 23 percent; education – 19 percent; planning and policy formulation and resource allocation and utilization – 15 percent each; institution building – 12 percent; social welfare – nine percent; and child participation – eight percent.

In grassroots level, best practices are assessed in terms of Barangay Council for the Protection of Children and barangay health stations and nutrition posts – 22 percent each; elementary and high school – 20 percent; barangay information and reading center – six percent; community support and child participation – 3.5 percent each; and playgrounds – three percent. (PR)