Fernando supports children’s welfare in Bulacan

MALOLOS CITY — “Young people of Bulacan, continue to dream, study, make friends and work hard in life because every child in the province of Bulacan is safe and has a smooth path to achieving your dreams.”

Governor Daniel Fernando told the youth of Bulacan in his children’s speech (SOCA) during the Provincial Children’s Congress held at The Pavilion at Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center on November 16.

Fernando also highlighted the Bulacan provincial government’s efforts to combat malnutrition and ensure adequate funding for nutrition-related programs.

“Incidences of malnutrition have decreased due to the effective implementation of our Bulacan Nutrition Action Plan, but this needs to be further facilitated and aligned with the Philippine Nutrition Action Plan or PPAN 2023-2028,” Fernando said.

The governor also praised Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office chief Rowena Tiongson for being recognized as the Outstanding Provincial Nutrition Action Officer at the recently held 2024 Gitnang Luzon Gawad Parangal sa Nutrisyon.

Fernando announced that the state has been awarded the Gawad Edukampyon Local Governance Award (provincial category) for the second consecutive year after coming first in the entire region for Early Childhood Care and Development Accreditation.

There are currently 995 public education centers in Bulacan, serving 48,644 registered children in child development centers.

Fernando said 477 of the 569 barangays in the province now have child representatives under the Local Council for the Protection of Children.

This year’s National Children’s Month celebration in Bulacan, whose theme was “Breaking Prevalence, Ending Violence: Protecting Children, Creating a Safe Philippines,” consisted of a variety of activities for children, including singing, copying and coloring, poetry reading, and competitions such as Zumbalilit . It clashed with the governor’s SOCA.

In the individual competitions, the first place winner was given a consolation prize of P10,000, the second place a prize of P8,000, the third place a prize of P5,000 and the consolation prize of P2,000; The only group competition on the roster, Zumbalilit winners received £20,000 for first place, £15,000 for second, £10,000 for third and £5,000 as a consolation.

Meanwhile, the state recorded a slight increase in cases of violence against children, with most of the victims being girls between the ages of 12 and 17.

On the other hand, in terms of children in conflict with the law, the number of children in Tanglaw Pag-asa Youth Rehabilitation Center decreased from 98 in 2022 to 64 in 2023.

Also present during the Governor’s SOCA meeting were Lieutenant Governor Alexis Castro, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Local Government Provincial Director Myrvi Apostol-Fabia, SP Women and Family Committee Chair Erlene Luz de la Cruz, and PCPC Children’s Representative Chair Cassandra Eparwa.