28 July 2022, Cagayan de Oro City—The Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (Oro-TIPC) led by Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer (LEIPO) Eileen E. San Juan, Assistant Department Head Raelita E. Legaspi, and International Affairs in-charge Imma Rae D. Gatuslao, hosted a meeting with visiting Second Secretary for Domestic Affairs of the Canadian Embassy Peter Wright, and Program Assistant Tiffany Y. Urrutia, today, July 28.

Mr. Wright and Ms. Urrutia first paid a courtesy call to City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” A. Uy, at his office, where he was joined by City Councilors Imee Rose Moreno, who chairs the City Council Committee on Women and Family Relations, Suzette Magtajas-Daba, who chairs the Committee on Education, Jay Roa Pascual, who chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Cultural Communities, Joyleen Mercedes “Girlie” Balaba, who chairs the Committee on Social Services and John Michael Seno, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) City Federation President.

The party then proceeded to Oro-TIPC for a sit-down with John Patrick “JP” Santos, Youth Development Officer for the Oro Youth Development Council (Oro Youth), Michael L. Abrogar, Adolescent Health and Development (AHD) Program Coordinator for the Community Improvement Division (CID), and Anecia C. Tongson and Nida Paña, Head and Assistant, respectively, of the Cagayan de Oro Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

Michael L. Abrogar, Adolescent Health and Development (AHD) Program Coordinator for the Community Improvement Division (CID) presents CID’s adolescent health promotion programs.
 
Social Worker Honey Jane Tulang of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), outlines child protection mechanisms her office has instituted.
 

 

Oro Youth presented its initiatives in organizing and capacitating the youth to champion and lobby for youth welfare, while CID presented its programs promoting adolescent health, and CSWDO Social Worker Honey Jane S. Tulang outlined child protection mechanisms in place, especially for cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

Mr. Wright commended the city for its work in promoting children and youth welfare and asked where more support is needed, explaining that his government supports ChildFund, an organization dedicated to combatting OSAEC, through Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

ChildFund works in Cagayan de Oro through the Xavier Science Foundation and “Kaabag sa Kalamboan pinaagi sa Kabtangan sa Katilingban (KKKK),” a local civil society organization (CSO) that mobilizes community development through programs for different life stages, such as early childhood education and parental support for ages 0-5, literacy and numeracy for those aged 6-14, and adolescent health, sexuality and reproductive health for ages 17-24.

The aim is to inform, strengthen, and leverage the youth’s peer support system and prevent the issues from arising in the first place, according to ChildFund Advocacy Specialist Allan Nuñez, soliciting suggestions from the City Councilors present as to the implementation of local child protection laws already in place.

City Council Committee Chair for Social Services Joyleen Mercedes "Girlie" Balaba remarked on the difficulty in policing cybercrimes targeting children, which could be bridged by the city working closely with the national agencies involved and penalizing negligent parents according to City Ordinance No. 13195-2017, otherwise known as Cagayan de Oro’s Parental Responsibility Code.

City Council Committee Chair for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Cultural Communities Jay Roa Pascual reported that the Regulatory and Complaints Board (RCB) requires motels to install CCTVs to monitor the trafficking of minors.

City Council Committee Chair for Women and Family Relations Imee Rose Moreno pointed out the effectiveness of involvement in sports to instill discipline and values among children and youth.

CSWDO Indigenous People Focal Person Nena " Bae Rose" Undag Lumandong lamented the ubiquity of technology, commenting that technology has infiltrated even the hinterlands where indigenous communities live, citing the resourcefulness of their youth in sourcing solar power to charge gadgets and using altitude to catch a signal.

   
 
Nena " Bae Rose" Undag Lumandong, CSWDO Focal Person for Indigenous People, weighs in on how tribal youth are similarly reached by the long arm of technology. Her fellow member of the Higaonon tribe, Bernie L. Malinda listens in.
 

 

Her fellow IP community leader Bernie L. Malinda emphasized a return to cultural identity and values as a way to combat the ill effects of technological advancement and connectivity, which he said are intrinsically inescapable and necessary, a point with which Canadian Embassy Domestic Affairs Program Assistant Tiffany Urrutia and the local CSWDO agreed, citing investments in prevention and parental engagement as key.

The group agreed to keep working to promote the welfare of children and the youth, and looked forward to possible collaborations in the matter.n

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