Division Stakeholders’ Training-Seminar on Child Protection/Anti-Bullying Policy

SDO San Juan held a three-half day Division Stakeholders’ Training-Seminar on Child Protection/Anti-Bullying Policy last September 4-6, 2018 in SDO Conference Hall. The activity was participated in by the School Child Protection Committees from public elementary/secondary schools composed of the School Heads, Guidance Counselors/Teachers, Parent and Student Representatives, Barangay Representatives in-charge of Child Protection, Women and Children Desk Officers (WCDO) of 21 barangays of San Juan City, PNP Representative, Local DSWD, SK Federation President and other LGU Personnel, SDO Officials and Staffs, and SAPRISA President, Dr. Ingrid R. Yap together with the selected Private School Representatives.

During the opening program, Dr. Joel T. Torrecampo, OIC-SDS said that, “ We would like to provide opportunities to practice pro-social behaviors and establish mechanisms to address the psychological, emotional, and psycho-social well-being of both the bullies and the bullied. Likewise, we also train in the conduct of positive and non-violent discipline so as to invite our attention to desirable traits. Advocacy campaigns such as this allow us to discuss issues that influence students to commit bullying, identify factors that make a certain student a target or a victim, and deepen the understanding of the effects that bullying does to a child”.

Ms. Irene V. Fonacier-Fellizar, the Resource Speaker for the entire program is a true-blooded San Juaneño who resides in Bgy. Little Baguio. She is a member of the National Training Team, National Training of Trainers of the Department of Education (DepEd) on the Implementation of the Child Protection Policy (DepEd Order No.40). She is also a Regional Representative for East Asia and the Pacific, International NGO Council on Violence Against Children. To date, she is the Child Rights Co-Focal Point, Solidarity of Asian People’s Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights, Bangkok, Thailand/Jakarta, Indonesia.

Ms. Fellizar discussed the Introduction of Child Protection Policy and Standards on Child Protection on the first day of the program. On the second day, the speaker tackled the Duties and Responsibilities of the Child Protection Committee. On the other hand, she equipped the participants with the needed information and technical know-hows on the issues of bullying and child abuse because each school will craft their Localize Child Protection Policy with the assistance and support of the different Stakeholders. She informed everyone that she will prioritize San Juan City in the monitoring of the written policy on keeping children safe.

The training-seminar was facilitated by the Division Child Protection Specialists in SDO San Juan; Dr. Felicito M. Angeo, Chief-SGOD, Dr. Nonita Y. Sajo, School Head, Salapan Elementary School, and Dr. Emma A. Sendiong, Education Program Supervisor for Guidance/EsP and the Division Focal Person for Child Protection. They attended series of trainings and workshops in Dep-Ed Child Protection Policy since 2015. They conducted the Division CPP activity as an offshoot of their attendance to “Positive Discipline and Localization of the Child Protection Policy with Action Planning” held on July 25-27, 2018 at BSA Twin Tower, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

The Dep-Ed Child Protection Policy aims to protect children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment and exploitation, including sexual abuse. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) establishes the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively, and on the basis of equal opportunity, it obliges the government to take measures to encourage regular attendance in school and reduce drop-out rates. Thus, it is mandated that all appropriate measures be undertaken to ensure that school discipline is administered in a manner consistent with the child’s human dignity, and in conformity with the CRC.