For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11, NIV
On the 20th of November 1959, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was declared by the United Nations General Assembly. Every year, we commemorate this as World Children’s Day, reminding us that children’s rights are one of the primary concerns of all peoples. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), based on our belief that each child is a child of God and a bearer of God’s image, continue to uphold, protect, and promote children’s rights in all our work and ministries.
The necessity to ensure and protect children’s rights has never been more than serious as the socioeconomic crisis worsens day by day. The skyrocketing prices of oil and basic commodities, and the non-livable wage and contractual work leaves every impoverished Filipino family unable to eat at least three times a day. About 21.3% of Filipino families live below the national poverty threshold resulting in grave inaccessibility to affordable, good, and quality education. There is also a prominent increase in the number of out-of-school youth and children. Moreover, the government does not prioritize the sector of education in its budget allocations. Teachers are not given just and right compensation for their hard work and significant time to provide education for our young people.
Aside from education, Filipino children and their families are still deprived of accessible healthcare services. A higher mortality rate of children has been recorded during the surge of the pandemic in the country. Reports say that 44% of children under five years old were unable to access hospital and pediatric consultation. And yet, even with a new administration and amidst health crises, there were no concrete plans heard from the Department of Health on how to address the health situation in the country.
Land conversion, land-grabbing, and violent demolitions of urban poor communities threaten the children’s right to a safe and secure shelter. The indigenous people are stripped of their identity and rights from their ancestral lands as they become targets of massive displacement, human rights violations, and militarization in their communities and their children’s schools were unjustly shut down. In these communities, children are the most traumatized, victimized, and oppressed. When in fact, they should be protected from these depravities and atrocities.
As churches, we must advocate for God’s love for our children. We should provide them with a nurturing and loving community, and most of all, children’s rights should be asserted and protected to promote their best interests.
Therefore, we must unite and continue to live out our ministries for the sake of our children and their future. We call on the public as well as the churches to stand in championing children’s rights and their meaningful participation in our communities. Let us usher them in lifting their voices without fear, as we work together for a better future—a future where communities are safe, and where peace and justice thrive enabling our children to grow in with hope and dignity.
Signed:
20 November 2022
REV. FELIPE B. EHICAN, JR.
Chairperson
RT. REV. JOEL O. PORLARES
Vice Chairperson
DR. GAY B. MANODON
Vice Chairperson
MA. KAY CATHRINE F. ALMARIO
Vice Chairperson
MAJOR ALLAIN M. NIETES
Corpoerate Treasurer
BISHOP REUEL NORMAN O. MARIGZA
General Secretary
