The Davao de Oro provincial government has pledged to enhance its child protection programs for the following year as the 31st National Children’s Month comes to a close this November.

In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Dorothy Gonzaga said the province’s child protection initiatives in 2024 include the strengthened advocacy for facility-based delivery and breastfeeding of infants, improving health and nutrition services, and addressing the prevalence of malnutrition among children.

“I believe that the child’s rights must be realized and fulfilled to achieve their full potential and development. More so, our children are the future human capital of the province, thus we should invest in them,” Gonzaga said.

The governor also mulling the establishment of a child protection unit in hospitals, to increase the number of beneficiaries of scholarships, improve the residential care facilities, and intensify the dissemination of information regarding different laws and ordinances concerning children.

“The implementation of our child-friendly and youth-centered programs and activities had been realized even with limitations on the budget and resources,” she said.

In May this year, Davao de Oro was recognized by the Department of the Interior and Local Government as the most ideal province for the 2022 Provincial Council for the Protection of Children Functionality Assessment, receiving the highest score of 90.74 percent for functionality among all six provinces in the region. (PNA)