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| Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte |
While waiting whether or not Davao City won for the most
child friendly city all over the Philippines, the Davao City Social Services
and Development Office together with non-government organizations are
validating the 182 barangays of the city for the Most Child Friendly Barangay.
“This is to sustain what we have done for the most child
friendly award from the city level down to the barangay level,” CSSDO Head
Maria Luisa Bermudo in an interview last week said.
She added that each of the 182 barangays will be assessed
equally without exemptions. And this validation started last October.
“[The purpose of this award] is also to check what are the
areas that need to strengthen and also to find out the best practices that they
can share,” Bermudo added.
Bermudo said they intended to have the awarding by November
but since they have many events this month the awarding may be done by
December.
She said aside from CSSDO, the private sector,
non-government organizations are also involved in the validation to sustain the
gains of child friendly initiatives of the city.
The winning barangay will have a Mayor’s Trophy and a cash
prize.
Meanwhile, Bermudo said she is very optimistic that the city
will bag again this time the Most Child Friendly Award, which is assessed by
the national government.
“I am positive because we have really what it takes to get
the hall of fame. We did our best for our programs. We are always in the
forefront our initiatives and our best practices for our children.
Although we
encounter issues and problems, the fact is we face them, and we created
programs through our partnership with the local government organizations,” she
said.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio said she
is happy with the nomination of the city for the most child friendly city
award.
“These kinds of awards and nominations are basis that the
city government is doing correctly and I am happy that the city is once again
nominated as most child friendly all over the Philippines,” Duterte-Carpio
said.
She added that having child friendly projects and programs
are important to protect children as they are the future of our country.
“It is important for
us to invest in our children,” she said.
The city won the award in 1998, 1999, 2013, 2014, 2015.
This year, the city is faced with equally formidable
contenders for the Most Child-Friendly Award — Iloilo, Baguio, and Paranaque.
Photo Credit: byahengdo30.com
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