Children's Month is also an Activity for Parents
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
I received the invitation from the Municipal Mayor of Donsol, Sorsogon requesting to facilitate the activity during the Children's Month Celebration scheduled on the 21st up to the 24th day of November. Donsol is a municipality popular with both foreign and local tourists because of the town's major eco-tourism attraction, the whale shark watching, and interaction. The municipality has been given an international name, the "Whale Shark Capital of the World" and has been recognized as a world-class tourist destination.
Image Credits: Rhouze via Noypi Blog
The place is also popular for another major activity, the Firefly Watching. Visitors need to travel via a small banca in order to reach the place called Ogod River and enjoy the magnificent view of thousands of fireflies flying and dancing around the trees. A wonderful activity that proves that the world is a truly beautiful place to live.
Image Credits: Donsol Eco-Tour
The place is just 10 kilometers away from Pilar, my former place of assignment and my hometown. Although, this time, I, together with my family are living in another city.
Going back to our main topic, the invitation which was coursed through our provincial director only includes the activity, the date, and the topics I have to discuss. Thinking that it was about children, I didn't bother to ask who will be the participants.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
To make the story short, I spent two nights and a day in order to prepare the presentation which I would be using during the activity.
This morning, my husband brought me to the place because he also has an important matter to accomplish in the municipality of Pilar. We reached the place at exactly 9:00 AM, 30 minutes earlier than the schedule based on the invitation. There are few people in the area when I reached there.
What made me wonder was I was seeing some parents and a few children around the area. So, to make sure, I asked the emcee Mam Gloria about it. She told me that the participants are the members of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children or BCPC. This is a group that must be organized in the villages in order to look after the welfare of the children. The council is in charge of crafting programs that would ensure the safety of the children in their respective villages.
Glad that I asked, I still have time to revise the presentation which I made intended for a younger audience. Anyway, this is one of the instances that could sometimes happen especially if the invitation has no clear instruction. We are trained to handle these little issues that are sometimes unexpected. We also have back up presentations and we must be ready for the worst-case scenario. That is if there is a power failure. We need to talk without any powerpoint presentation.
Well, I am lucky it didn't happen this time. The only issues are the very wide venue and the malfunctioning sound system which causes some delays. But everything went okay.
The topics given to me were the Anti-Drug Abuse Program and the Roles of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children.
The program started with the usual opening preliminaries. The Municipal Mayor, Hon. Josephine Alcantara gave a very inspiring opening message and welcome remarks showing her great enthusiasm to give the children a substantial time and to address their needs. Mayor Alcantara is one of the Local Chief Executives who consider children's concerns as one of the priorities in the formulation of programs for the municipality. A truly remarkable endeavor of a good leader.
I was given two hours in order to discuss my topics. The Anti-Drug Abuse Program came first on the list. I explained why we have to tackle this concern when we are supposed to be concentrated on the discussion about children. So, I have to site the DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2017-157 declaring the 3rd week of November as
I mentioned the fact that the concern on drug abuse is the main focus of the current administration. Different agencies have different functions in order to eradicate this problem in the society.
Image credits: Constructiongear.com
I also discussed the different strategies on how to eradicate the problem of drugs especially the five (5) pillars of action which is known as:
- drug supply reduction
- drug demand reduction
- alternative development
- civic awareness and response
- regional and international cooperation
Other matters related to drug prevention were added to the discussion. Parents also shared some experiences regarding drug prevention.
I have played a short movie that depicts the importance of the role of the parents in drug prevention.
We had a short break after the first topic to give way to the taking of lunch of the participants.
After a short break, the group dance a Zumba. It was an enjoyable experience.
I started on the next topic which is the Role of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children after the dance by presenting the Presidential Decree No. 603 also known as, the Child and Youth Welfare Code which is the main basis for the creation of the BCPC.
Children are the most vulnerable sector of the society. That is why they need to be guided, assisted, and be given a considerable amount of time so as to ensure that they are heading towards the right direction.
Having the BCPC in the villages is a big help in addressing the concern of the children with regards to food, health, education, and recreation. The concern of the children cannot be addressed by one person alone but through the help of everyone. Their welfare and protection is a concern of everybody.
After the discussion, Mam Gloria together with other BCPC members has awarded the Certificate of recognition. It was a great honor for me to be invited.
Image Credits: Sharon Lopez via Bitlanders
Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future Children are hope of the future
John F. Kennedy
Here is a video showing a very timely strategy for prevention
Video Credits: Drug and Alcohol Rehab Services via YouTube
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Written for Bitlanders:
by: Sharon Lopez
Thank you for reading.
Please visit my blogs for more articles.
Sharon Lopez is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce Major in Banking and Finance and currently working in the government handling programs on Business Friendly and Competitive LGUs.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are that of the author and does not in any way represent the agency or department she currently belongs.
