Children at the Heart (Day 1)

Children at the Heart (Day 1)

by Rey Laguda

(This is the DepEd USec Rey Laguda's Day 1 of 50-day journey being serialized here with his permission, culled from his Facebook account. - Blogger/owner)

The Filipino children are at the heart of what we do. It has always been like that and it will always be that way. This is easy to say but very difficult to implement because of the many threats that children face.

Laguda

It took a while to contextualize this in DepEd terms and we embarked on a process of redefining our vision, mission, and values. Like any organization, this sets the direction and defines the core reason of the Department, the Why of the Whys. There were many debates about this, which I don’t want to dig up anymore. But the point is, we wanted the bureaucracy to be learner-centered and to manifest this in its policies, programs, and projects.

Thinking of the 24 million learners under our wing, we then articulated DepEd’s Child Protection Policy in 2012, putting a premium on the well-being and safety of children. We want them to be free and protected from violence, exploitation, discrimination, and other forms of abuse.

And So It Is Christmas

And so this is how I value Christmas in acrostic:

Christmas is for CHILDREN. It's the little children who really love Christmas. They're all excited when Christmas is just around the corner. They love also to sing Christmas carols. And they go out house to house at night to sing them.

Christmas is HOME. Christmastime is one of the nicest times of the year to be with your beloved family when you're away from them for even a year. There's a popular song that says, "I'll be home for Christmas." Beside there's no place like home and Christmas seasons suits the time to be with your family.

Indonesian Family Planning: Is It Feasible For the Philippines?

"Family planning  Is a Moral Choice"

Walden Bello, a member of the PHL House of Representatives representing AKBAYAN (Citizens' Action Party) and is serving as a senior analyst in the Bangkok-based researched institute Focus on the Global South, has recently visited Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam to investigate family planning program in these countries.

He publicized his recent research on family planning program of Indonesia, which he is recommending an ideal program for the Philippines to adopt.