DOLE helps vulnerable families keep children away from labor
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
HINATUAN, Surigao del Sur (PIA) — Like many mothers, Girlie T. Vallescas dreamt of seeing her son graduate from school and build a better future. But for years, poverty forced her family to make difficult choices.
Her son, Eloy, one of the 100 profiled child laborers in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, would accompany his father on fishing trips whenever there were no classes to help the family earn a living.
“As a mother, I am determined that none of my children will become child laborers,” Girlie shared in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-Surigao del Sur during the national launching of the Laya at Laro: Information and Service Caravan on Child Labor Prevention and Elimination in Hinatuan, the host town.
She recalled that Eloy’s participation in fishing was driven not by choice, but by the family’s financial hardship.
“Si Eloy mouban og panagat sa iyang papa sa panahon nga walay eskwela tungod sa kawad-on” (Eloy joins his father’s fishing trips whenever there are no classes because of poverty), she said.
Today, however, Girlie sees a brighter future for her children through the support of the national government.
She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the national government, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), under the leadership of Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino, after their family became one of the beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) program.
“Dako ako pasalamat sa TUPAD, sa DOLE nga naka-avail mi ani nga programa, nahatagan mi og ayuda. Daku gayud kini nga tabang sa amoa isip mangingisda… Makapalit nako og mga uniform sa akong mga estudyante nga naa sa day care og elementarya” (I am deeply thankful to DOLE for allowing us to benefit from TUPAD. The assistance is a great help to us. I can now buy school uniforms for my children who are in daycare and elementary school),” she said.
Despite life’s challenges, Girlie remains steadfast in her greatest aspiration.
“All I want is for Eloy to finish his education,” she added, uttered in a local vernacular.
Her story reflects the realities faced by many vulnerable families, where economic hardship often pushes children into labor, away from the classroom.
Recognizing these challenges, the national government continues to strengthen interventions that address the root causes of child labor while ensuring that children can pursue their education and enjoy their childhood.
During the national launch of the “Laya at Laro: Information and Service Caravan on Child Labor Prevention and Elimination,” held in celebration of the World Day Against Child Labor (WDACL) 2026, 100 profiled child laborers aged 11 to 17 and their parents or guardians received integrated government services under DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP).
The beneficiaries received livelihood assistance through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), TUPAD wages, school supplies, educational materials, and gifts under “Project Angel Tree”. The children also participated in the Kids Town Service Caravan and Laro ng Lahi, allowing them to learn, play, and simply enjoy being children.
These interventions reflect the government’s whole-of-nation approach to eliminating child labor by addressing household poverty, expanding livelihood opportunities, and strengthening access to education and social protection.
Under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., DOLE continues to work with local government units, private-sector partners, and other stakeholders to ensure that every Filipino child is protected from labor, supported in school, and given the chance to achieve his or her dreams.
For mothers like Girlie, the government’s assistance represents more than financial support; it is renewed hope that their children will remain in school, break free from the cycle of poverty, and build a better future for themselves and their families. (NGPB, PIA Surigao del Sur)