DOLE XII - Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃: 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫

As the country marks Independence Day on June 12, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is calling on Filipinos to help secure another form of freedom—the freedom of children from labor.

DOLE Secretary Francis N. Tolentino underscored the importance of collective action as the nation joins the observance of the 2026 World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL), celebrated globally under the theme, “Red Card to Child Labor: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults.”

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

12/06/2026

𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗹 𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗚𝗢 𝗖𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗪𝗗𝗔𝗖𝗟 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗼

A total of 150 identified children and their parents benefited from assistance and a series of government services during the 2026 World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) celebration led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office XII, through the Cotabato Field Office, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Cotabato and various stakeholders, held on June 12 at The Basket, Capitol Compound in Amas, Kidapawan City, highlighting strengthened convergence efforts to eliminate child labor and promote access to education and social protection services.

Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino, in his keynote message, called for stronger and sustained collective action to end child labor, stressing that its elimination requires a whole-of-society approach anchored on effective policy implementation, expanded educational opportunities, and decent work for parents. He underscored the global campaign “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair play for children, decent work for adults” alongside the national theme “Ikaw, Ako, Tayo: Sama-samang Pagkilos para sa Batang Malaya,” emphasizing shared responsibility across all sectors in protecting children’s rights.

The event also featured key advocacy and service components aimed at strengthening awareness and support for children and families. A signing of the Pledge of Commitment on the implementation of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor and ILO Convention No. 190 was participated in by parents, members of the Regional Committee Against Child Labor (RCACL), and stakeholders, serving as a formal declaration of unity and commitment to advance child labor prevention and elimination efforts and promote a future where every child is protected and empowered to reach their full potential.

The celebration also included the Project Angel Tree, in which beneficiaries received 5 kilograms of rice, health kits, and school supplies, including notebooks, pens, and other learning materials, to support their education and daily needs.

The observance is aligned with the Marrakech Global Framework for Action against Child Labour adopted during the Sixth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Morocco, which serves as a concrete roadmap with clear steps to strengthen global and national efforts against child labor. Secretary Tolentino expressed appreciation for the active participation of stakeholders in the celebration, underscoring that eliminating child labor requires sustained collective action across all sectors. He reiterated the intensified “Red Card to Child Labour” campaign, a global call to action to stop child labor and ensure that it has no place in the Philippines and anywhere in the world.

📍 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 👇

11/06/2026

🎥 𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧

Yellow Bus Line Incorporated proudly expresses its support for the Red Card sa Child Labor Campaign, standing in solidarity with the call to protect every child’s right to a safe, educated, and dignified future. 🛑♥️

11/06/2026

🎥 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫

Kathy Ulab, a devoted Bangsamoro mother, stands in solidarity with the Islamic community in declaring her strong support for ending child labor.

Together, we uphold the rights of every child to a safe, loving, and education-filled future.

11/06/2026

𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝑳𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝑳𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓: 𝑰𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆

At the age of 14, Ian Dave J. Barcelona from Sto. Niño, South Cotabato was forced to put his education on hold due to financial hardship and family challenges. Following the separation of his parents, the responsibility of helping provide for his family fell heavily on his shoulders.

Instead of spending his days in a classroom, Ian worked as a vendor in the local market, selling lumpia, kwek-kwek, maruya, and juice. He also labored in vegetable farms to help his family make ends meet. Like many child laborers, he experienced firsthand the difficulties and sacrifices that come with working at a young age. In 2018, he was profiled under the Department of Labor and Employment's Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program, where he was validated as a child laborer and identified as one of the children in need of support and intervention.

Despite these challenges, Ian never gave up on his dream of finishing his education. Through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and various government interventions, he was given the opportunity to return to his studies and continue pursuing a better future.

Through hard work, resilience, and perseverance, Ian successfully completed his college education and passed the Social Work Licensure Examination in September 2024, fulfilling a dream he had carried since childhood.

As a former child laborer, Ian later became a beneficiary of the Department of Labor and Employment's Government Internship Program (GIP). The Program provided him with valuable work experience and opened doors for personal and professional development.

Today, He serves as a Project Development Officer II under the Walang Gutom Program of DSWD Region XII, where he continues to serve and contribute to communities.

Ian's journey is a powerful testament to the impact of education, government support, and unwavering determination. From a child laborer struggling to survive, he transformed his life and became a licensed professional and dedicated public servant.

His story reminds us that every child deserves the chance to learn, dream, and build a brighter future.

"𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊 𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒌𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒏 𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒑. 𝑺𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂 𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒚𝒐𝒏, 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒈-𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒉𝒂𝒚 𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒂.”

11/06/2026

❤️‍🟥 𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐖, 𝐀𝐊𝐎, 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐎: 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚-𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐚

𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐗𝐈𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 — a strong reminder that every child deserves protection, education, and a future free from exploitation. 🚫👧👦

Let’s raise our voices, not child labor cases. When we see abuse, we don’t stay silent—we give it the red card. ❤️‍🟥

10/06/2026

🎥 Kilalanin si 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧 ng Cotabato Province—isang dating batang manggagawa na sa murang edad ay nagboluntaryong magtrabaho upang makatulong sa kanilang pamilya.

Ang kanyang kwento ay isang paalala na ang bawat bata ay may kakayahang magtagumpay kapag 𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚, 𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐤𝐬𝐲𝐨𝐧.

Sa pamamagitan ng mga programang ipinagkaloob ng DOLE at iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan, nabigyan si Jasper ng pagkakataong makapag-aral, mapaunlad ang kanyang kakayahan, at maabot ang kanyang mga pangarap.

Panoorin ang kanyang nakaaantig at nagbibigay-inspirasyong kwento sa video at alamin kung paano niya napagtagumpayan ang mga hamon ng buhay. 💙

✨ 𝑯𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊 𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏 𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒂—𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏.

09/06/2026

🔴 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗦𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗥! ✋

The Department of Labor and Employment – General Santos City Field Office stands in solidarity with the nation in observing World Day Against Child Labor 2026 and supporting the global 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 Campaign.

This June, let us unite under the theme:

𝗜𝗸𝗮𝘄, 𝗔𝗸𝗼, 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗼: 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮-𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮.

Together, let us raise the red card against child labor and promote fair play for children through education, protection, and opportunities to thrive. By ensuring decent work for adults, we help build a future where every child can enjoy their right to a safe, healthy, and meaningful childhood.

𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮-𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝗮 !

09/06/2026

TINGNAN: Pakikiisa ng Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleo (DOLE), Chairperson ng National Council Against Child Labor, sa kampanyang

Bilang Kalihim ng Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleo, ako po ay taos pusong nakikiisa sa panawagang wakasan ang child labor. Ang bawat bata ay may karapatang mabuhay ng malaya, makapag-aral, maglaro at mangarap para sa kanilang kinabukasan. Ang mga batang nasa murang edad, ay dapat na nasa paaralan at hindi sa mga pagawaan.

Itaas ang inyong tinig. Ipakita ang pulang kard. Sama-sama nating ipaglaban ang karapatan ng bawat batang Pilipino.