Young people join Working Youth Day Celebration
Dr. Shirley G. Hampac, resource speaker
on Child Labor, receives the Certificate
of Appreciation from Engr. Filomeno
Sonza, Head, DOLE Iloilo-Guimaras
Provincial Office.
The Department of Labor and Employment Region 6 celebrates "Working Youth day" with Youth Info-cum and Productivity Forum at the University of Iloilo Auditorium on February 19, 2008.
Several young people from various youth organizations in Iloilo and Guimaras Provinces, who are actively supporting the community development extension programs of the University of Iloilo (UI) and Western Visayas College of Science & Technology (WVCST), came to participate in this event.
The theme of this year's celebration, "No to Child Labor, Yes to Youth Improvement," speaks well of the efforts being undertaken by DOLE and its partners.
Engr. Filomeno Sonza, Head of Iloilo-Guimaras Provincial office said that the DOLE, together with its partners, is doing its job in curbing the proliferation of child labor in Iloilo and Guimaras provinces and, at the same time, improving the lives of the youth by providing jobs and skills training which they could use in starting up their livelihood projects.
He informed the participants that early this month, the Department launched a new program, dubbed "Dagdag-Kabuhayan para sa mga Manggagawa," aimed at assisting workers in the formal sector in engaging into business that would provide them additional income and employment for their family members.
Members of working youth organizations are among the beneficiaries of this program.
All topics discussed during the forum geared towards developing the youth awareness on issues and concerns confronting them, such as: employment of minors, reproductive health and drug addition.
A topic on entrepreneurship was also discussed to encourage the youth to venture on entrepreneurial activities instead of being employed.
"We want the youth to become agents of change," Sonza said. "They can be our effective partners in our drive to eliminate child labor in its worst form and they can also help us influence the mind set of young people in their desire to earn for a living," he added.
This celebration is in line with Department Order No. 89-08, Series of 2008 issued by DOLE Secretary, Arturo D. Brion, and pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 1110, series of 1973, which declared February 15 of every year as "Working Youth Day."