By RALPH JOHN MIJARES
ROXAS City — City government officials here who recently went to Davao City for a study tour denied insinuations that they went on a trip for nothing.
Mayor Angel Alan Celino and several department heads went on a four-day “knowledge journey” from June 23 to 26.
Roxas officials said they chose Davao because the latter city was last year’s Presidential Awardee for being the most child-friendly highly urbanized city.
Virgie Azarcon, a member of the Council for the Protection of Children here and one of the participants, said their tour was “very productive.”
She said they have seen firsthand how programs and projects for children are given importance and vigorously implemented in Davao.
“It’s clear why we went to Davao: to see the city’s various programs and projects [for] children. And we’ve learned a lot,” Azarcon said.
Radio reports, however, casted doubt on the real purpose of the trip, with some reporters questioning the city’s choice of venue.
Azarcon, also the city’s population officer, revealed that Roxas aims to vie for the “most child-friendly city” title in the future.
Laws such as Republic Act (RA) 9170, or the Magna Carta of Women, and RA 9262, or the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act, mandate the integration of gender and development and child protection in local government programs.
City officials said that, through the trip, they learned about the importance of the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children and the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.
Both bodies, they said, play a crucial role in providing restorative justice and after-care programs for children in conflict with the law and children at risk.
The Department of Interior and Local Government Region 6 approved of the “knowledge journey.”
It required every participant to make a post-activity evaluation form where he/she would share his/her insights.
All participants completed their tour itinerary, but the Davao City government added more activities, particularly ones related to the roles of government departments in addressing children’s concerns.
The city government also clarified that the budget for the trip mentioned in some radio reports is different from the actual amount.
It guaranteed that the participants were prudent and will report and liquidate all expenses. It assured that the unused part of the budget will be returned to the city’s coffers./PN
