‘Children in Emergency’ bill gains LGUs support
TAGBILARAN CITY, Dec. 4 (PNA) -- The support for the passage of the Children in Emergency bill in Congress is gaining traction with the holding of policy Forum on Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Bill held at Metro Center Hotel here yesterday.
Save the Children, a non-government organization (NGO) funded by United Nations for Children Education Fund, spearheaded the said forum with the participation of local government units (LGUs) officials in the province headed by their respective municipal mayors.
Save the Children “believes there is a need for new, strengthened national legislation to improve the care and protection of children affected by disasters and to build on best practices and lessons learned during recent emergency responses.â€
The proposed bill entitled “An Act Mandating The Provision of Emergency Relief and Protection For Children During A Disaster, Calamity and Other Emergency Situations,†or House Bill No. 5285 filed at the House of Representatives. It is being introduced by some 24 Representatives based on the copy distributed by Save The Children during the forum
Its counterpart is “An Act Providing Emergency Relief and Protection For Children During Disaster, Calamity and Other Emergency Situation,†also called Senate Bill No. 2448, sponsored by Senator Teofisto “TG†L. Guigona III.
Former Justice secretary Leila de Lima, who spoke before the forum during her visit here here yesterday, expressed her fully espousal of the proposed law. She said she supports the said bill seeing no objectionable provisions after going through it.
Pitching support for the passage of the said bill include the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Iloilo with the passage of its Resolution No. 2015-114, supporting the House version on children emergency protection.
Provincial Board Member Godofreda O. Tirol said that she would introduced to the plenary session today the said bill to encourage her fellow members of the provincial board to also support the said bill.
Some mayors and Governor Edgar Chatto who attended the said forum also showed support for the said proposed law for its approval by Congress.
Once the bill is passed into law, Save the Children said it would serve as a national policy to protect particular needs of the children before, during and after natural calamities.
These needs would be addressed by way of the comprehensive emergency program, less disruption of education, heightened surveillance, improved care, a system of restoring civil documents, better data collection and reporting, increased participation of children and child-centered training of all respondents. (PNA)
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