Dagupan qualifies anew for presidential award
BALON DAGUPAN NEWS
MOST-CHILD FRIENDLY CITY AWARD
THE Dagupan City government has been confirmed as a finalist in the independent component city category for the fourth consecutive year for the Presidential Award for the Seal of Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PASCFMC).
The confirmation was made after a national evaluation committee for the PASCFMC award arrived here on Tuesday to begin validating the various programs and projects of the city government.
The evaluation committee headed by Ruel de los Reyes had initial meetings with Mayor Belen Fernandez and department heads of the city government as well as members of the Councils for the Protection of Children in the Barangays.
The committee is composed of representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Agriculture and the National Council for the Welfare of Children.
Dagupan City was already chosen as the most child-friendly city in Region 1 this year and automatically qualifies it to vie for this year’s national child-friendly award.
Councilor Maybelyn Fernandez, vice chairman of the Council for the Protection of Children in the City, cited the P145 million or 17 percent of its city budget allocated for programs and projects for the benefit of children, an amount
seven percent more than the 10 percent required by law as annual outlay for programs and projects of children.
Mayor Fernandez said her administration prioritizes programs and projects of children to ensure their full development as city’s future leaders.
The evaluation team noted the “Manlinkor ya Kalangweran” (Young Public Servants) program that trains and exposes student leaders to governance in order to give them an insight into public service, a program the committee commented that should be replicated nationwide.
It also evaluated the city’s feeding program supported by civic clubs and non-government organizations and the city government ‘s Bahay Pagasa to house children in conflict with the law and ‘Oplan Paligo’ that provides free baths to children to imbibe the importance of personal hygiene.
Another novel program noted is the free swimming training for children to prepare them for emergency situations and eliminate drowning among city’s children.
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