Christmas came early for the families of child laborers as the Department of Labor and Employment IV-A - Batangas Provincial Office (DOLE BPO) conducted its annual Project Angel Tree in San Juan, Batangas, on December 3.

With uncontainable joy, Ms. Judy Ann Alaver, the older sister of one child laborer who used to work as a helper in the marketplace, expressed her appreciation as they received various noche buena items, packs of rice, groceries, and school supplies.
According to her, the gifts will help the new family of his younger brother who now faces the responsibility of becoming a father to his child.
“Marami pong salamat kay DOLE at sa mga sponsors. Salamat po,” she remarked.

Aside from the gift-giving activity, the event also highlighted the different games and entertaining kid shows for all the children.
To realize the activity, several companies and private individuals provided different gifts for all the children who also expressed their commitment to continuously supporting the cause of the Department in combating child labor not only in Batangas but also in the Philippines.
During the activity, the beneficiaries received backpacks, school supplies, noche buena packages, canned goods, bags of rice, and other groceries that could help with their day-to-day needs.
In her message, DOLE BPO Provincial Director Predelma Tan shared the essence of the program which not only focuses on giving gifts but also creates awareness as part of the continuous action of the department in preventing and eliminating child labor.
She also expressed her sincere appreciation to all the sponsors called “Angels” who extended their kind gifts to the children and their families.
“Ito pong tinatawag namin na Project Angel Tree—ito po ay isang gift giving po namin na naging taun-taon na po naming itong ginagawa ay isa lamang po itong bahagi sa tinatawag naming child labor program. Hindi po namin ini-encourage ang bawat pamilya na magkaroon ng child laborers para makasali sa gift giving, ito po ay isang awareness act [and] campaign na rin po namin para doon po sa aming na-profile” she remarked.

Aside from the entertaining show, DOLE Focal Person for Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program, Ms. April Rose Magpantay also shed light on the salient features of Republic Act No. 9231 as part of the information caravan on combating child labor.

The following were the sponsors who extended their generosity to the families of child laborers in San Juan, Batangas:
Avance Pilipinas Inc.
L. Estebaya Construction Corp.
CDO Foodsphere Inc.
Taikisha Philippines Inc.
Megatrend Workforce Management
BVI Philippines Corp.
Universal Robina Corp.
Ibiden Philippines Inc.
Furukawa Automotive Systems LIMA Phils. Inc.
Maxim de Humana International Inc.
Joel Chavez Construction and Maintenance Inc.
Littelfuse Philippines Inc.
Cong. Lianda Bolilia
Ms. Mirasol Celemin; and
Ms. Salvacion Kalalo
Through these kinds of projects, the department hopes to contribute to promoting the rights of children, specifically in its vision of achieving a child-labor-free country.






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