THE Davao City Council on Tuesday, November 27, approved during its regular session “An ordinance creating the Special Office for Children’s Concern (SOCC) under the City Mayor’s Office.”
“All children’s concern will be referred to the SOCC. It is an implementing mechanism of the Davao City Children's Welfare Code through agencies or offices with programs for children,” Davao City Councilor Avegayle Ortiz-Omalza said on Tuesday in a phone interview.
She also said that one advantage of creating SOCC is having an office that would be in charge of all the data concerning children.
“Kung naay SOCC, murag mao ni ang data banking office or centralized office for children (If there is a SOCC, it will be the data banking office of the centralized office for children),” Ortiz-Omalza said.
Data coming from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO), Department of Justice (DOJ), Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD), and other agencies will have to submit report concerning children at SOCC.
The office will be under the office of City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“It is under the city mayor’s office prerogative,” Ortiz-Omalza added.