Understanding the Non-

organization and Non-

functionality of the Local
Council for the Protection of
Children in the Philippines
MERLYNE M. PAUNLAGUI, Ph D
Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies
Child protection
• addresses every child’s right not to be
subjected to and complements other rights
including the need to survive, develop and
thrive (UNICEF 2004)
• pertains to measures and structures to
prevent and respond to abuse, neglect,
exploitation and violence affecting children
(UNICEF 2006) in all settings (Yacat 2010)
For child protection to work

• develop systems and mechanisms that

provide meaningful protection for all
children in the longer term as well as
strengthening the capacity of a variety of
actors to protect children
• concerted efforts of individuals and
groups that child protection can become
effective and sustainable
Response of the Philippine
government
• 1935
Constitution • 1987

• Republic Act 4881

• Created the Council for the Protection of
Children in every city/municipality
• Child and Youth Welfare Code
• Created the CWC
Laws • Barangay Council for the Protection of
Children
BCPC matters & must be functional

• committee in charge of planning and

implementing activities on child protection
at the barangay level
• Barangay is the basic political unit of the
State serves as the primary planning and
implementing unit of government policies,
plans, programs, projects and activities in
the community
Succeeding Activities
• Development of Manual on organizing
Local Council for the Protection of Children
2002
• Manuals on:
– Orientation of the Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children
– Training for BCPC Organizers
– BCPC Membership and Leadership
Development
But . . .

• Why are some LCPCs yet

organized while others are fully
functional?
• What are the facilitating and
limiting factors?
General Objective

• Examine the implementation and

functionality of the Council for the
Protection of Children, particularly
at the barangay (village) level
Specific Objectives
• discuss the policies on the creation of the
Local Council for the Protection of Children;
• determine the functionality of the Local
Council for the Protection of Children, with
emphasis at the barangay level;
• identify the factors affecting the functioning of
the Councils; and
• derive recommendations from the empirical
results.
Research Methods
Secondary Data
• Publications: CWC and DSWD
• National Barangay Operations Office –
Department of Interior and Local Government
(NBOO-DILG)
• City and Municipal Offices of DILG
• C/M Social Welfare and Development Office
Primary Data
• KIs: Officers and C/M SWDO, DILG Officers,
and selected members of Barangay
Development Councils
 Legal and Policy Framework

• Civil Code of the Philippines

– concept of the creation of the council for the protection of
children was introduced
• Republic Act No. 4881, 1967
– An Act Creating the a Council for the Protection of Children in every City
and Municipality of the Philippines

• Presidential Decree (PD) 605 or the Child and

Youth Code
– Creation of the Council for the Welfare of Children
– Encouraged the barangay councils to create a council for the
protection of children
 Legal and Policy Framework

• Republic Act No. 7610 (1992)

– Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination Act
• RA 8980 (2000)
– Early Childhood Care and Development Act
• Republic Act No. 9344 (2006) Juvenile Justice and
Welfare Act
Legal and Policy . . .

Child 21, National Plan of Action for

Children (NPAC)
– a strategic framework for planning programs
and interventions that promote and
safeguards the right of children
– broad strokes to achieve the vision for the
quality of life of Filipino children in 2025
• Goal for 2025: every Filipino child will exercise
his/her rights to survival, protection, development
and participation throughout the life cycle
Institutions

• Council for the Welfare of Children

• Regional, Provincial, Municipal and
Barangay Council for the Protection of
Children
• Inter-Agency Monitoring Task Force
(IMTF), NBOO-DILG
Institutions
FUNCTIONALITY OF THE
LCPC/BCPC
DILG Memorandum Circular

Number Title

94-14 Adoption of the Implementing Guidelines of Memorandum

Order 39 and the Revised Guidelines on the Reorganization of
Local Sub-Committees for the Welfare of Children
2002-121 Revised Guidelines on the organization and strengthening of
the LCPC incorporating thereat ECCD Coordinating Committee
at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels.
2004-52 Creation of a sub-committee of the Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children (BCPC) to be called as Sub-Committee
on Bright Child (SCBC) in every barangay
2005-07 Guidelines in monitoring the functionality of the LCPC at all
levels
2008-126 Revised Guidelines in monitoring the functionality of the LCPC
at all levels
 Indicators of Functionality

Indicator % Contribution to
Total
Organization 10
Meetings 10
Policies, Plans and Budgets 30
Accomplishments 50
Total 100
1. Organization
• The LCPC, through a Sangguniang
resolution/ordinance or Executive
Administrative Order by the Local Chief
Executive (LCE), must be organized at all
LGU levels.
Composition of the LCPC
• Chair: Barangay Captain (BC)
• Vice Chair : To be appointed by the BC
• Secretary Can be appointed by the BC or
elected by the Members
Composition of the LCPC …
• Members:
– Youth Organization Chair
– Day Care Worker
– Barangay Health Worker
– Barangay Nutrition Scholar
– Public School Teacher
– Chief of Barangay Police
– NGO Representative
– Children/Youth Representative
– PO Representative
– PTA President
– Church-based Children Serving Group Representative
– Other Organizations
2. Meetings
• conduct a regular quarterly meetings and
special meetings when necessary.
• meetings shall be supported by minutes of
meetings.
3. Policies, Plans and Budgets
• executive issuances and legislative action
through the LCPC resolutions
• Establishment of a database for children
which will form the basis in coming up with
policies
Plans
• should be integrated in the LGU Development
Plan.
• Activities
– updating of data base on children
– preparation of annual work and financial plan
– advocacy on the promotion of the rights of children
– conduct of capability buildings
– formulation of a Local Development Plan for
Children, Local Investment Plan for Children, Local
Code for Children and Local State of Children
Report
Plans . . .
• Activities
– assistance to children in need of special
protection (CNSP)
– monitoring of the enforcement of national and
local laws
– monitoring and assessment of the PPAs on
children; health and nutrition programs
– maternal and post natal care
Plans . . .
• Activities
– construction/maintenance of community
infrastructure;
– provision of potable water supply
– services and programs for children with
special needs, interests and concerns
– capability building for service providers.
4. Accomplishments
• Documentation of accomplishments;
• Accomplishments reflected in the LGU
Annual Report; Accomplishments included
in the State of Local Address (SOLA); and
• Other Child 21 related activities initiated by
the LCPC not reflected in the council plan.
Levels of Functionality

I-Basic 20% and below

II-Progressive 21-50%
III-Mature 51-79%
IV-Ideal 80-100%
LCPCs evaluated by level of LGU, 2009 & 2010

No. of No. of LCPC % of LCPC % In-

LGUs Evaluated Evaluated crease
(2009-
2009 2010 2009 2010
2010)
Province 80 58 55 72.50 68.75 -5.45
Cities 122 98 119 80.33 97.54 21.43
Munici- 1397 1230 1206 88.05 86.33 -1.95
palities
Barangays 39535 34644 35659 87.63 90.20 2.93

Excluding ARMM
 Level of functionality by LGU type,
2009- 2010 (in percent)

Ideal Mature Progressive Basic

2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
PCPC 62 62 24 27 12 5 2 5
CCPC 49 48 35 36 13 9 3 7
MCPC 28 23 39 47 19 17 13 12
BCPC 16 15 38 38 30 32 16 16
Total 16 15 38 38 30 31 16 16
Functional LCPC: 2009-2010

90
2009 2010
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PCPC CCPC MCPC BCPC
Factors Limiting the Functionality of
LCPC
Province/Municipality
• lack of support from the LCE and
• changes in the composition of the Council
every three years or after election
Factors Affecting Functionality

Barangay
• overlapping community-based
organizations and the corresponding duties
and responsibilities
• limited capacity of barangay officials and
staff; and
• conduct of orientation to strengthen
BCPCs is still incomplete.
Lack of support from LGE
• By law, 1 percent of the total budget
coming from the Internal Revenue
Allocation (IRA) should be devoted to
LCPC activities
– At the municipal level, budget is always
limited; thus activities for LCPC reorganization
are not completely implemented
Lack of support from LGE . . .
– None of the barangays visited had allocation
for LCPC
– In one barangay, expenditures for LCPC
activities are taken from the Gender and
Development Fund
Changes in the Composition of the
LCPC
• election of a new mayor means a
reorganization of the LCPC which
may take four months to organize
– reorientation of the duties and
responsibilities of all the committees
– longer delay for the BCPC to restructure
Overlapping Functions/
Too many committees to
• At the barangay level, there are seven sub-
committees with each subcommittee has
two to three councils
 Barangay Council

Barangay Peace & Order Committee Barangay Development Council

Sub-Committee on Crime Prevention/Drug Abuse Council Sub-Committee on Health & Nutrition & Environmental
Protection
Brgy Anti-Drug Abuse Council
Brgy Ecological Solid Waste Mgt Council
Brgy Against Narcotics Abusers & Traffickers
Brgy Health Workers

Sub-Committee on Human Rights Protection

Brgy Nutrition Committee

Brgy Human Rights Protection

Sub-Committee on Sectoral Concerns

Sub-Committee on Crisis Management Brgy Council for Women

Brgy Disaster Committee Brgy Council for the Protection of Children

Seniors Citizen Council

Sub-Committee on Community Assistance & Response
Persons with Disability
Brgy Based Volunteer Responder’s’ Network

Sub-Committee on Sports and Physical Fitness

Brgy Tanod

Lupong Tagapamayapa Brgy Physical Fitness & Sports Development

Council

Sub-Committee on Intelligence Information

Gabay sa Mamayan Action Center

Bgy Information Network

Limited capacity of barangay officials
and staff
• Has only copy of the resolution creating
the BCPC while there are barangays which
did not submit any of the requirements
• plans are broadly stated that would require
more “thinking” or further planning to be
implemented.
Orientation to Strengthen the BCPCs is
Still Ongoing
• Except for one municipality, the orientation
to strengthen the BCPCs in the cities and
municipalities visited for this study is still
incomplete
• effort to assess the implementation of the
BCPC is not seriously undertaken.
Facilitating Factor
• Presence of a Champion
–Municipal Councilor
–Retired University Professor
Conclusions
• adequate laws and executive issuances as
well as institutions to plan and implement
programs for the protection of children
• Creation of IMTF as well as the revised
guidelines to monitor the functionality of
the councils for the protection of children
Recommendations
• Translation of policies into workable
programs and projects, particularly at the
barangay level
• improve further the capability of the officers
and staff involved in local protection
• The position of Barangay Secretary should
become a regular item at the municipal
Capacity Building Activities
• Barangay Captain
– topics to be included in capacity building
activities are planning and implementing
programs, project and activities
– there are already existing trainings and
workshops conducted along these lines;
however, there is a need to develop simple
guide for barangay leaders
Capacity Building…
Barangay Secretaries
• recording and retrieval system of
documents
• topics on the preparation of minutes of the
meeting and other administrative duties
• Importance of their roles are in the
functionality of the BCPC
THANK YOU