Manila- Some 175 children beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program coming from the different provinces and highly urbanized cities will gather today to attend the second National Children’s Congress (NCC) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

The NCC, which will be held from October 23 to 25, 2013, was launched by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the Pantawid Pamilya in partnership with the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) in 2012.

This gathering of Pantawid Pamilya children beneficiaries aims to bring out their voices on issues that directly affect them. They will also propose solutions and recommendations with these issues so that the government could respond to the emerging challenges that children are being confronted with.

These proposals will be presented to His Excellency, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on October 24 in Malacañan Palace.

Moreover, Pantawid Pamilya will also award the Exemplary Pantawid Pamilya Child on October 25. Around 17 children will compete for the title.

Carey Joy Uy, the Regional Exemplary Child from the Cagayan Valley is already excited to be part of this activity. According to Uy, “Hindi po hadlang ang kahirapan para marating natin ang ating mga pangarap. Ang mahalaga buo ang ating loob at may sapat na suporta upang marating ang ating mga mithiin (Poverty is never a hindrance. What is important is that we are determined to achieve our dreams and that we have all the support we need).”

Also, Jairus Mae Djemetzchel of Abra will represent the highland region of the Cordillera. During the panel interview, Jairus shared her dream of becoming an educator someday. “Pangarap kong maging isang guro dahil nais kong ibahagi ang aking kaalaman na magsisilbi nilang gabay sa pagtupad ng kanilang mga pangarap (I dream to become a teacher because I want to share my knowledge to the children so that they will grow up successfully and they will be able to attain their dreams like me)”, she said.

Apart from these, inspirational talks and fora are also in the pipeline. Alexander Macatual, one of the top ECE board passers for 2012, will talk about “Poverty and Children’s Rights” and will share his experience how he did not let poverty hinder him from achieving his dreams. John Paul Claudio, former child country representative to United Nations General Assembly Special Session will lead the discussion on “Children and the Path to a Better Tomorrow”.

NCC is part of the celebration of the National Children’s Month with the theme “Kahirapan Wakasan; Karapatan ng Bata, Ipaglaban”.
Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 0-14. Presently, the program now covers 3.9 million beneficiaries with more than 9 million children aged 0-14 included in the program. ###