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Official Publication of the Philippine Information Agency Bicol Regional Office, in cooperation with the RIAC-REDIRAS - RDC Bicol



Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Naga City passes ordinance promoting positive discipline on children

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, Aug. 12 (PIA) -- The Sangguniang Panglungsod (city council) of Naga has unanimously approved the ordinance, "Promoting Positive Discipline of Children," to employ positive and non-violent forms of disciplinary actions on children.

Ray-An Cydrick Rentoy, main author of the City Ordinance No. 2013-026, said the legislation seeks to prohibit corporal punishment and all forms of degrading and humiliating punishment on children, further help strengthen family solidarity, and recognize parents’ rights to rear their children in accordance with the demands of responsible parenthood.

The new ordinance aligns with the 1987 Philippine Constitution's provision which mandates that the state will defend the rights of children, including proper care and nutrition, and give special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development.

The same ordinance also complements implementation of Republic Act of No. 7610, otherwise known as Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The law specifically states the “State shall intervene on behalf of the child to protect him or her against abuse, exploitation and discrimination when such acts against the child are committed by the his or her parent, guardian, teacher or person having care custody of the same."

City Ordinance No. 2013-026 was filed by Rentoy and co-authors city councilors Cecilia Veluz-De Asis and Dan Paulo R. Morales.

“This Ordinance is enacted to impose upon parents, teachers, guardians, children and all persons legally responsible for the care and custody of the child the preservation of his or her dignity and the protection of his or her welfare at all times to the end that the child becomes a useful and active member of the society,” Rentoy added.

This endeavor is also in line with the national government’s effort to promote the welfare of children, particularly under the Presidential Award for the Child-friendly Municipalities and Cities initiative initiated by the Council for the Welfare of Children pursuant to Executive Order No. 184 entitled “Establishing the Presidential Award for the Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities” issued on December 13, 1999. This also encourages local government units to be child-friendly.

Deserving local government units will be bestowed with the Presidential award if they have implemented programs that pushes for the sustained promotion of children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation as well as in ensuring child-friendly governance.

Naga City was already conferred with the Hall of Fame Awards together with other five local government units, namely, Vigan City, Tuguegarao City, New Lucena, Iloilo, Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, and Alicia, Isabela. These LGUs have consistently increased their final scores for three consecutive years.

Highlighted in Rentoy’s ordinance are offenses which include physical maltreatment, psychological harm or suffering which refers to acts or omissions causing mental or emotional suffering to the child, deliberate neglect of a child’s mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual needs when said neglect is intended as punishment, and verbal abuse among others. (MAL/LSM-PIA5, Camarines Sur) 

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