Mandaluyong bested the cities of Pasig and Makati in the regional selection and the award qualified the city in the national Presidential Search for Most Children Friendly Cities and Municipalities under the highly urbanized category.
DSWD-NCR OIC Director Delia U. Bawan led the members of the RCWC in awarding the Most Child Friendly City seal and a guaranteed P50,000 worth of community project for children to Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. during the city’s Monday flag ceremony.
Bawan said that the city’s achievement was attributed to its effective delivery of programs and services for children along health, nutrition, and education and for its efficient management of cases of children in need of special protection.
Mayor Abalos in his message said, that being hailed as Most Children Friendly City for the second time, they have the responsibility to advocate to other cities and provinces nationwide how they were able to beat the challenges in addressing children’s concerns.
The Presidential Award is conferred to deserving local government units in recognition of their vital role in promoting children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation as well as in ensuring child-friendly governance.
Each nominee was validated based on the functionality of committees for children, budget allocation and utilization for children, programs and services for children, community and children participation in governance both in the city and in the barangay level.
The Regional Council for the Welfare of Children in NCR is led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with the following member agencies:
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Education (DepEd), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), National Statistics Office (NSO), Center for Health and Development (CHD), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), National
Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), National Nutrition Council (NNC), Bantay-Bata 163, Home for Youth Foundation, Liga ng mga Barangay and Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines.