DROWNED amid the continuous interest on incoming president Rodrigo Duterte’s moves since topping all rivals to the seat by six-million, the signing of Republic Act 10821 (Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act) by President Benigno C. Aquino III barely made it to the news or the discussions on social media.
We thus take it upon us to stress on the importance of this law and to ensure that it is implemented well. That tons of rice were made to rot in Department of Social Welfare and Development warehouses while victims of typhoon Yolanda were clamoring for food. Along with lack of food and opportunities to recover came child trafficking.
In September 2014, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reported of 43 confirmed human trafficking cases in Eastern Visayas, ten months after Yolanda. But this report was denied by barangay officials who insisted to trafficking cases has been reported.
True or not, we get an idea of how trafficked children can fall through the slats of politics.
Once the law gets its implementing rules and regulations, the DSWD and other national agencies wilbe tasked to enhance services related to monitoring and protection of children vulnerable to and affected by disasters.
This includes tracing of unaccompanied minors, a separate data collection to identify children, child-focused emergency trainings, as well as provision for evacuation centers so that schools can resume operations once the debris are cleared.
We’ve seen so many laws with good intention fail. Much like the nationwide Anti-Smoking Law, that many people are now crying over because Duterte had announced he will implement it nationwide. While Davao City became known for its strict anti-smoking ordinance, the law on which the ordinance is based on is actually a national law that was implemented in fits and spurts before this eventually sputtered.
But knowing that disasters visit the country regularly, we have to focus on this law to ensure that no more child suffers more from a disaster that he’d normally would and that government will be there by their side to help them recover and resume their life, fast.