Supporters meet for Bantay Bata program

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (March 31, 2011) – Local officials and benefactors met in “A Spoonful of Love” dinner Wednesday (March 30) forging a campaign for the protection of children particularly in the SocSarGen (South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos City) area.

Resource Organization Manager Elvira Yulo said Bantay Bata 163, ABS-CBN’s program for the protection and promotion of children’s rights, conducts a Pilipinas Caravan where they go to poorest communities in the countryside.

“We do this closely with the local government units. They help us find which barrio is the best to go in where we conduct dental missions,” Yulo said.

“Seeing the happy people, I said I can do this job for the next 20 years,” Yulo said.

“As long as there’s a child who needs help, we work,” Yulo said.

The evening fete includes children’s arts from Davao which were raffled for donors as gifts.

“We encourage everyone present here tonight to support the passage of House Bill 914 that helps parents, teachers and every person exercising parental authority to practice discipline to their children in guiding their behavior while respecting their rights to healthy development and protection,” Gladys Manggas, supervisor of the Bantay Bata 163 Child Protection Service Unit for SocSarGen, said in a “We can make a difference” presentation.

“Our future commitment to the children of SocSarGen is to continue the campaign to promote positive discipline in all setting, strengthen the child protection mechanism around the area through establishing child protection policy in school, home and residential facilities, and work further to achieve justice to the Maguindanao tragedy,” Manggas said.

Governor Migs Dominguez said Sarangani has been supporting the program since 2006.

Through its child helpline 163, Bantay Bata has conducted home, school and agency visitations nationwide.

“I remember referring children’s cases to Ma’am Tina (Monzon- Palma) when I was in Congress. Most of them are cases that can no longer be handled by the government,” Mayor Darlene Antonino- Custodio said.

“We thank Bantay Bata for their help for the children. This fund raising is indeed a laudable advocacy for children’s rights,” Custodio said. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)