The giving of educational kits to children is not only realistic but also a symbolic reminder to parents that children should be in school and not working in farms, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, said yesterday at the turnover of school supplies to 100 children at Brgy. Antipolo, Pontevedra town.

Brgy. Antipolo is one of the 80 barangays in the country with high incidence of child labor and one of the pilot areas for the implementation of the child labor campaign of DOLE.

She said the campaign for child labor-free barangays is one of their priority programs to address the problems of child labor, adding that education is the only investment parents can place in their children.

“We want to free all barangays from child labor which now records 2.4 million cases throughout the country,” Baldoz said.

She also said a child can only start working at the age of 15 or after finishing secondary education, but lower than that age, they should be in school.

She added that DOLE needs the support of the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the local government units, and the parents to give a better future for their children.

DOLE also wants to provide livelihood opportunities for parents through sustainable assistance, training, values formation, while the child is in school, she said.

Baldoz also said that farmers who work in the “pakyaw” system should receive payment not lower the minimum wage of P245 for the plantation and P235 for the non-plantation.

She said “pakyaw” system is all right as long as farm workers receive the right wages. She also encouraged them to report to DOLE office if they are not compensated well, adding that they cannot immediately accuse the companies or landowners because they also provide jobs.

Raquel Villahermosa, 43, widow, who has five children under the “pakyaw” system, said four of her kids work with her in the hacienda.

Raquel said her children aged 17, 14, 13, 12, and the 9-year old Kimberly Villahermosa who received her educational kit yesterday had to be absent at least twice a week to work.

She said her eldest son who is 18, has to stay home because he is epileptic.

Kimberly said that if she finishes her basic education, she wants to be a teacher, adding that she is thankful to DOLE for giving her free educational kits that she can use when classes start next week, and she will be in Grade 1.*LTG

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