THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment distributed educational and health kits to some 150 working children in the Ilocos Region.

DOLE Regional Director Evelyn Ramos said the beneficiaries are classified as child laborers through the department’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program.

“Through the CLPEP, we ensure that these children are referred to respective government agencies for proper intervention and support. These include the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Local Government Units, and other concerned agencies,” Ramos said.

Aside from the educational kits, the DOLE will also be giving livelihood assistance to selected parents of child laborers so they can start a small business to feed their families and send their children to school.

The livelihood aid is worth P30,000.

“We provide them the means to create more resources for their family, so that their children are not obligated to work, rather they should stay in school and focus on their education,” Ramos added.

Data from DOLE showed there are 8,329 child laborers in Region 1.

Of the numbers, 4,692 are in Pangasinan, followed by Ilocos Norte with 1,283, Ilocos Sur with 1,278, and La Union with 1,076.

All of the profiled child workers had been referred to social partners for intervention and support, the department said.