Children need playgrounds. They have all the rights to play. Play is their life.
This is why UN in its charter, stresses the Right of the Child to play. It has called all nations to ensure that our children should and could play. Nations are asked to make programs for children to play.
The Duterte administration, thru the Philippine Sports Commission headed by Davaoeno Butch Ramirez has this Sports for Peace Children’s Games which is aggressively conducted all over the country. In key cities and provinces in the Visayas, children have already played. Next will be in municipalities to give equal opportunities for children all over.
PSC Mindanao has conducted children’s games in the evacuation camps in Iligan after the Marawi seige. Play therapy was the main purpose in those three days where children just played. The event was done twice to sustain the play therapy.
The Children’s Games is under the Sports for Peace program of PSC. This is inclusive where the tri-people children compete with each other in the spirit of respect, understanding, and friendship. PSC together with the Churches in Davao, the Muslim religious leaders conducted the event in Davao at Mergrande Resort in Toril.
Then PSC reached out DaDiTaMa of the Catholic church and conducted six children’s games in the parishes and schools in Padada and Digos City in Davao del Sur. In Buhangin, Ramos school in Lanang and in Mati City and Lupon town. One was held in Asuncion, Davao del Norte.
Children from these parishes were thankful they were given the chance to play with each other even if they don’t know each other. They all came from the different GKKs of the parish.
Right now PSC Mindanao has scheduled children’s games in Tawi tawi, Zamboanga, Osamiz, Agusan, Bukidnon and Surigaon and in Luzon and the Visayas.
The child has the right to play. The Duterte administration makes sure that UN’s call will be most vibrant in the peripheries of the country.
So what’s the reason for this program? A child that plays has more self-confidence, builds in him life skills to cope with life, wide appreciation for the values of respect and understanding. A child celebrates his humanity through play.
A child will always play no matter what. It is his right. It is his life. So government makes sure facilities and programs for them are in place. PSC does this.
