OUT of the total population of 31 million, more than 800,000 Filipino children are already working between the ages 5 to 17 according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). To address the significant number of working children, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) initiated Project AGAKKA (Alalay para sa Ginikanan Alang sa Kalambuan sa Kabatan-onan). This initiative is part of the Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP) of DOLE that aims to assist parents or guardians of child laborers to become financially able and stable by providing them livelihood or emergency employment.
Recently, as a support to the said program, Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., with its social development arm, Aboitiz Foundation Inc., and Income Credit Cooperative, donated bags with school supplies for 130 children identified by DOLE XI.
Present at the turnover ceremony on April 4, 2022, are DOLE XI Regional Director Randolf Pensoy, AboitizPower Distribution Utilities SVP and COO Anton Mari Perdices, and Davao Light President and COO Rodger Velasco, as well as Income Credit Cooperative Chairman Jasper Gelacio.
Davao Light recognizes the importance of partnerships between public and private entities to align its programs to create a bigger impact on the community and help contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 1 which is to end poverty.
