DA reiterates “Bawat Bata, Dapat Happy!” on Children’s Month closing

With the culmination of the 32nd National Children’s Month (NCM) celebration, the Department of Agriculture (DA) once more joined the call for “Bawat Bata, Dapat Happy!” by urging immediate action to end violence against Filipino children and promote their rights and welfare.

The DA family, led by the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), was among the roster of government agencies and civil society organizations that offered interactive booths and engaging sessions for children and families.

Raising the banner of the DA family during the event were the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), which distributed learning materials and starter kits for urban agriculture; the DA-National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the DA-Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), which handed out free milk packs to children; and the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which provided entertainment to the participants through performances by mascots Super Pig and Dr. V.

Celebrated every November by virtue of the Republic Act No. 10661, the NCM endeavors to sustain the promotion and protection of children’s rights. It is annually led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Youth Commission (NYC), and the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) as lead agencies and is supported by all other government offices including the DA.

The month-long event also commemorates the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on November 20, 1989. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UNCRC is an international agreement that provides a clear definition of who children are along with a list of their rights and the governments’ responsibilities in safeguarding these rights. It is the world’s most widely ratified international human rights agreement with a total of 196 signatories.

With the theme, “Break the Prevalence, End the Violence: Protecting Children, Creating a Safe Philippines!,” this year’s NCM celebration emphasizes the critical need to protect children and foster a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment with the support of government agencies, institutional partners, the private sector, and the