Philippine International Aid

www.phil-aid.org Fall 2014 CFC#25431

Table of ContentsThe Children Who Can't Enter Kindergarten 1

Statistics on Filipino Children 1

The Chairperson’s Message 2

Board of Directors 2

New Board Members 2

Financial Statement 2

Fundraisers 3

Status Reports 4

Special Report: One Year Later Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan Assistance 7

PIA Thanks 8

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines is home to over 2 million working Filipino children aged 5-17 as of 2013, according

to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

As of 2012, more than a million of them were not attending school.

Children as young as 5 leave school to engage in some form of labor. Some of them, we encounter on the streets.

Other children manage to juggle work and schooling. Such arrangements, however, prove to be difficult. For others, once they drop out, they rarely return.

Some manage to reach certain grades, but are unable to graduate. Meanwhile, children who com-pletely lack access to early education have it worse.

They miss out on basic classes such as hygiene, sanitation, health, and nutrition. The UN Econom-ic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) stressed that these lessons are “critical for laying the foundation for children’s subsequent learning and development.”

They are also deprived of having different social and emotional interactions with teachers and other children – from which they can learn and

practice proper communication, creativity, respect, self-discipline, and other values.

A 2012 Unesco report stressed the importance of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) which are mechanisms that support a child’s holistic development from age 0-8 through:

• Education• Physical,social,andemotionalcare• Intellectualstimulation• Healthcareandnutrition.• Familyandcommunitysupport“Due to the rapid neural connections, brain

development and growth that take place at this age, this period is considered a critical window of oppor-tunity for optimizing children’s development,” Une-sco said.

As of 2012, DOLE reported that 909,000 children aged 5-9 were out-of-school.

Out-of-SchoolA2012 study by the Philippine Institute for

DevelopmentStudies(PIDS)cited“lackofpersonalinterest” and poverty as the top reasons for not attending school.

The Children Who Can't Enter Kindergarten

Continued on page 11

The Philippines has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, many government

policies and practices still do not include or recog-nize children. Bahay Tuluyan has collated the follow-ing facts:

Filipino children and education:•Forevery100FilipinochildrenwhoenterGrade1,only 67 will graduate from elementary school. Only 49 will complete high school.•4outof10children (12-15yearsold)arenot inschool. The net enrollment ratio in public secondary education in 2002 was only 57%.• The average class size across Philippine regionsranges from 33 to 50 students per class.•Only3outofevery10Filipinochildrenhasearlychildhood education, formal or non-formal.

Filipino children and health:•22%ofchildrenunder theageof fiveareunder-weight.•ThereisalackofknowledgeaboutHIVwithonly21% of the population having an understanding of whatHIVisandhowitcanbeprevented.•Only70%ofchildrenarefullyimmunized.

Statistics on Filipino Children

Continued on page 11

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Philippine International Aid2

Mona Lisa Yuchengco, Founder and Chair

Carlos Y. AbayaLeopoldo R. Briones, TreasurerSonia T. Delen, SecretaryTeddy Diaz De RiveraShirley B. DimapilisDr. Edmundo B. DuldulaoJ.D. Estella Isagani F. LaguismaJames T. Lim, Executive DirectorBen R. OlivasLyra Rufino-MacedaRegina Manzana-SawhneyElaine R. Serina, Ph.D.France M. VianaChonette Zagala

Raymond Virata, Administrative Assistant

2014 Board of Directors and OfficersAbout UsThe Chairperson’s Message

Dear Friend and Supporter,

We at Philippine International Aid (PIA) believe that the only hope for children to improve their future is through education. That is why for the past 28 years, we have focused our efforts in providing educational assistance to the lowest and youngest members of our soci-ety. Children who continue to live in poverty, who have poor health and who have no education affect our larger communities. It is our responsibility to try to alleviate the inequities and reduce the gaps so that these children can have healthy, positive psychological outcomes.

Thank you for sharing our dream in making this a better world for all of us for the past 28 years.

On behalf of the children, maraming salamat po (thank you very much).

Philippine International AidStatement of Revenues

and ExpendituresFor the year ended December 31, 2013

REVENUES

Donations $ 196,563Fundraising Income 147,284Other Revenue 101

Total Revenues $ 343,948

EXPENDITURES

Fundraising Expenses $ 40,599Licenses 142Utilities 2,531Office Expenses 1,305

Total Expenditures $ 44,577

GRANTS DISBURSED $ 291,199

EXCESS OF REVENUESOVER EXPENDITURES $ 8,173

Fund Balance 1/1/13 $ 244,088(Note 1)

Fund Balance 12/31/13 $ 252,312

Note 1 – The amount of $85,260 is committed and considered restricted.

Note 2 – The organization is incorporated in the State of California. It enjoys Federal Tax Exempt status under Section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Tax I.D. Number 94-3008383.

Leopoldo R. BrionesPaul Briones is the Auditor at the Tax Collectors Office for the City and

CountyofSanFrancisco.Heisalsoalicensedgeneralbuildingcontractor.

Regina Manzana-SawhneyRegina Manzana-Sawhney is a proud working mother of two girls,

co-founder of the FilipinoGooglersNetwork and social good advocate. ShejoinedGooglein2002after4yearsworkinginmarketingandpublicrelationsfor Novtek, a small company focused on testing Flash Memory. She's managed some ofGoogle's largest AdWords advertisers, relocated to India for almosttwo years to develop the team responsible for customer experience and later moved to Checkout to build complementary support and compliance. She focused on client experience measurement and internal systems with Double-Click. Currently she’s in her dream role defining the company's learning man-agement system landscape, developing talent management solutions and driv-ing organizational improvement efforts in Corporate Engineering.

Chonette ZagalaChonette Zagala is a Sales Manager of Specialty Sales - Consolidation &

Tours for Delta Air Lines/Air France/KLM/Alitalia based in Los Angeles, Cali-fornia. She is responsible for managing business relationships with Ethnic, Missionary and Student accounts to encourage market share and revenue growth forDeltaAirLines and itspartners toWorldwidedestinations.Cur-rently, her portfolio of accounts produces over $300million in revenue. Inaddition to her professional achievements, Chonette is active in her communi-ty. She supports associations and volunteers time to other non-profit organiza-tions’fundraisingefforts.In2007,shewaspresentedaNational&Communi-ty Service Award by Northwest Airlines. Chonette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and majored in Marketing.

Financial Statement

Sincerely yours,

Mona Lisa Yuchengco

New Board Members

Leopoldo R. Briones

Regina Manzana- Sawhney

Chonette Zagala

3Philippine International Aid

PhilippineInternationalAid(PIA),alongwithWellsFargo,celebrateditsannualfashionshowfund-raiser“HolidayHauteCouture”lastNovember17,2013attheHyattEmbarcaderoinSanFrancis-co.Lastyear’sshowwashighlightedbyworldrenowneddesignerBargeRamos.Veteranjournalists

Lloyd LaCuesta andDianeDwyer (KNTV-11NBC) hosted the event. Singer Divo Bayer performedduring the intermission.The fundraiser netted around $96,000.

Philippine Inter-na t iona l A id (PIA), together

with Philippine Air-lines andWells Fargo,presents“GivingHopeto the Children,” a luncheon fashion show fundraiser on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at Hyatt Embarcaderofeaturing the designs of Criselda Lontok, with the special participation of Rustan’s. The event also features a Christmas bazaarandauction.EmceesincludeKPIX/CBS-5newsanchorVeronicade laCruzand retiredjournalist Lloyd LaCuesta.

Philippine Airlines is providing the airfare for the designer and choreographer, and donat-ing two business class tickets for the live auction. GalleriaParkHotel isproviding theaccommo-dations.WellsFargoiscommemoratingitspart-nership with the Filipino community through its 20 years of remittance service to the Philip-pines.TheholidayfashionshowisPIA’sannualfundraiser.

GivinG hope to the children

FundraisersPIA Brings Out the Barongs with Barge Ramos

Designer Barge Ramos and volunteer Alex Drechsler

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Barongs worn by adult and children volunteers

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Grants for 2014Philippines

Young Aetas under the care of Association Compassion Asian Youth, Inc. (ACAY)

Children from the Alay Kapwa daycare center

Forits28thyear,thePhilippineInternationalAidboardapprovedgrantsofaround $248,400 for various programs benefitting disadvatanged youth in the Philippines and in the San Francisco Bay Area. The following is a

summary of the programs and the grants given. For more information on each our programs, please visit our website at www.phil-aid.org.

Alay Kapwa Daycare ProgramPIA'sgrantof$15,000 supports Alay Kapwa’s educational services which

assists 320 children in two centers in Cavite and two centers in Cebu.

Association Compassion Asian Youth, Inc. (ACAY) PIAprovidesACAYwithafundingof$7,000, which goes to psychological

evaluations and monthly counseling for 25 at-risk boys and girls and supports a formation program for 40 indigenous, young Aetas in Bangkal, Bataan.

Blessed Elena Academy PIA’sgrantof$2,500 provides educational assistance for 29 poor children

who live near Blessed Elena Academy.

Bukid Kabataan Center A grant of $9,000 provides educational and counseling assistance to 56

children at Bukid Kabataan Center which serves street children who are physi-cally and sexually abused, neglected and/or abandoned.

Catholic Ministry to Deaf People, Inc.(CMDP)PIAapprovedafundingof$13,800 which provides scholarships to 25 deaf

andhearing-impairedchildren inCMDP's care. It alsoprovides support for aBig Brother-Big Sister deaf mentorship project and training for the parents and guardians. There are also 56 deaf scholars in the "Off the Streets-Off to School" Scholarship Program.

Child Alert Mindanao PIA’s grant of$10,000 assists 191 at-risk youths by providing access to

vocational and technical training as preparations for adult responsible lives.

End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), Philippines

A funding of $8,000 supports the educational needs of 50 children in ECPAT’sYouthandEmpowermentProgramwhichassistsvictims/survivorsandthose who are highly vulnerable to be victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Kanlungan sa Er-Ma MinistryPIA’s grant of $10,000 supports the education of 50 children through

Kanlungan sa Er-Ma Ministry’s programs which are geared towards the holistic development of children in need of special protection to improve their quality of life and well-being. Many of the children have been sexually abused.

Blessed Elena Academy students

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Philippine International Aid 5

Grants for 2014Philippines

Kanlungan sa Er-Ma letter writing activity

Catholic Ministry to Deaf People, Inc.'s scholars

Off the Streets – Off to School Scholarship ProgramFor school year 2013-2014, a total of 771 children were enrolled. The fol-

lowing have graduated from college:

2013-2014 College Graduates1.WennyAbines,PamantasanngMaynila,B.S.BusinessManagement2. Abegail Bagohin, Metro Business College, Associate in Computer Technology3. Cortez Bencis, Universidad de Manila, Electronics Technology4. Carmela Caunga, Taguig City University, B.S. Criminology5.HervelitaFlores,DLSU-CollegeSt.Benilde,B.S.Business Administration.6.MaryJoyGordoncillo,UniversidaddeManila,MassageTherapy7.LheslieHernandez,UniversidaddeManila,B.S.Mathematics8. Joefel Rosal, Polytechic University of the Philippines, A.B. Broadcast Communication9. Jericco Samson, Metro Business College, Associate in Computer Technology10.VanessaSuguitan,RizalTechnologicalCollege,B.S.Computer Engineering11. Jay Tumanda, Rizal Technological College, B.S. Computer Engineering12.EllynJoyViado,UniversidaddeManila,A.B.MassCommunications

Open Heart Foundation WorldwideThis year's grant of $5,000 supports scholarships for 19 college students

and 3 high school students, who are either the breadwinners of their families or someone the family can count on for support when they graduate.

People’s Recovery, Empowerment and Development (PREDA) Foundation

PREDArescues children fromsexpredators.PIAprovides educationalassistance to 45 rescued children in the amount of $5,000.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Alabang Foundation PIAreneweditsgrantof$5,000, which provides educational assistance to

439childreninthebarangaysofBagongSilang(72chidren),ImmaculateCon-cepcion compound (102 children), Santo Niño (75 children), Rizal (80 children), Kabulusan 2 (52 children) and Kabulusan 3 (58 children).

Scholarship Program for Children of Prisoners and FarmersPIA’s fundingof$11,000 provides educational assitance to 300 poor chil-

dren in Iligan City: 50 are children of prisoners, 180 are children from poorcommunities and 70 are children of farmers.

Tanglaw Buhay Center A grant of $6,000 continues to assist the Zamboanga-based center who

helps chldren who have become victims of sexual trafficking. 13 of them are in elementary, 13 are in high school and two are in college.

NEW! Chameleon Association The project is an educational scholarship to send 2 disadvantaged students

fromIloilothroughafouryearcollege.PIAapprovedarenewablegrantof$1,250each for four years through the students' college duration.

Last year's Christmas party at the Scholarship Program for Children of Prisoners and Farmers in Iligan City.

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6 Philippine International Aid

Philippine International Aid ScholarshipDue to the high cost of education and the high college dropout rate among Filipino Americans,

PhilippineInternationalAidset-upascholarshipprogramtoassistdeservingFilipinoAmericanstu-dents who wish to pursue higher education at an accredited community, technical, college or universi-ty.

The program was given a grant of $6,500 for the school year 2014-2015 and is administered by the Asian Pacific Fund. For eligibility and selection criteria, please visit our website at www.phil-aid.org.

2014 Philippine International Aid Scholars

Julianne Chaves graduated from Benicia High School. Throughout highschool she volunteered for multiple community service clubs and hospitals. She held office in student government as the Freshmen Treasurer, Junior Sec-retary,andSeniorVicePresident.

Daryl’sinvolvementwithintheAssociatedStudentBodyandtheSanJoseYouthCommission, reflects his passion in serving those in the community, changing the status quo, and advocating for issues he is most passionate about, especially ineducation.HeiscurrentlyservingtheFilipinocommunityatUCBerkeleybyinterning and advocating for this year's Fil-Endorsed Senator in ASUC.

Ryann graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Joseph Notre Dame HighSchoolinAlameda,California.DuringhistimeinHighSchool,Ryannhasbeeninvolved in multiple academic, athletic and cultural organizations and opportuni-ties. From becoming a published author in a poetry anthology to being chosen as a delegate for the American Legion, Ryann has developed not only as a student but as an experienced individual.

Bernard grew up in a small, yet educationally competitive town known as Davis,California.Hehasalwaysexpressedhisdesiretobesurroundedbytech-nology, thus leading to his pursuance of a promising career in Computer Sci-ence.

Hannahcontinuallydedicatesherselftoherstudies,movingonfromvaledictorianstatusatSantaTeresaHighSchooltoUCBerkeley,whereshecurrentlypursuesapre-med track with an intended major of integrated biology. From volunteering positionstoearningpresidencyoftheCaliforniaScholarshipFederation,Hannahstrives to make a difference in her community.

Grants for 2014United States

Julianne ChavesDominican University of CaliforniaBiology

Daryl Keith CristobalUniversity of California, BerkeleyPolitical Science/Anthropology

Ryann Jeff MalicdemUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraEnvironmental Science

Bernard Allen Medina-Brown University of California, DavisComputer Science

Hannah SansUniversity of California, Berkeley Integrated Biology

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Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS, Inc.)

RAMS is a private, non-profit mental health agency that offers a variety of services to meet the behavioral health, social, vocational, and educational needs of the diverse community of the San Francisco Bay Area. PIA's grant of$5,000 providesfortheenrollmentof5FilipinostudentsinRAMS,Inc.'sPeerSpecialistMentalHealthCertificateCourse.

Philippine International Aid 7

Special Report: One Year Later Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan Assistance

To assist victims of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, PhilippineInternational Aid (PIA), disbursed $91,383 to partner organizations who are conducting relief and long term

projects in the affected areas.

The AY Foundation PIAprovidedagrantof$11,442totheAYFoundation,which

supports pro-poor and developmental programs in the Philippines. Relief goods and medical supplies were delivered to the affected areas including Tacloban, Barangay Limbuhan Dacu, Tanauan, Leyte, Ajuy, Sara,SanDionisio,Batad,andLemeryinIloilo,BarangayOldBusu-anga and San Rafael in Palawan. Part of the grant was also used to fund a fiberglass boat for a displaced fisherman though the Negrense VolunteersforChangeFoundation’sPeterProject2.PIAalsodonated$6,390 for school supplies, which AY Foundation provided to the5,000 affected children.

Negrense Volunteers for Change Foundation PIA granted $14,990 to the Negrense Volunteers for Change

Foundation to replace fishing boats lost and/or destroyed by typhoon Yolanda.DLAPiperFoundationprovidedmostofthefunds.

One Million Lights, Philippines PIA granted $13,482 to One Million Lights, Philippines

(OMLP) to provide 500 solar lights to schools and areas where power outages are frequent in Eastern Samar and Tacloban. DLA Piper Foun-dation provided most of the funds.

Philam Paaralan PIAbuiltatwo-classroomschoolinSanJose,Taclobanthrough

donations receivedmainly fromCommuneHotels and Resorts andtheir employees through a partnership with Philam Life Foundation and Give2Asia. The "Philam Paaralan" program provides fully-fur-nished schools in calamity-stricken, unserved and under-served areas around the country. This project cost $23,000.

PREDA PIAapprovedagrantof$7,000 for PREDA Foundation's Con-

duct of Child Protection Seminars and Psychosocial Therapeutic Ses-sions for Survivors. This vulnerability of the children to trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation is made worse by the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. PREDA Volunteers provided illustratededucational materials and presented puppet shows at evacuation center and schools to raise anti-trafficking awareness among the children. Separate awareness sessions are provided for their parents.

ACAY’s Bangon TaclobanPIAgranted$12,563 toAssociatedCompassionAsianYouth's

(ACAY) projects in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Leyte for training for peereducation, training for volunteer mothers and educational assistance for 50 children).ACAY also conductedpsychological debriefing ses-sions to the disaster victims. The town lost 50 of its 200 children in the typhoon.

The school building that Commune Hotels + Resorts and PIA built in Tacloban.

Ready for school: Children receive school supplies.

The children of Barangay Santa Cruz

THEAYFOUNDATION

GIVE2ASIA

MONALISAYUCHENGCO

The boats turned over to the fishermen in Iloilo through NVCF.

NVCFOUNDATION

ONEMILLIONLIGHTSPHILIPPINES

Beneficiaries of One Million Lights Philippines.

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Father Shay Cullen (top left) and PREDA volunteers distribute educational comics.

THEAYFOUNDATION

The "Philippine International Aid" boat.

8 Philippine International Aid

PIA Thanks

List of 2013 Contributors (based on payments received in 2013)

Guardian Angel$30,000 and above

Jerry and tina gutierrezmona lisa yuchengco

Lifeline$20,000 - $29,999

commune hotels and resorts, llc

Ninong/Ninang$10,000 - $19,999

The Joseph r. mcmicking foundation

Community Backer$5,000 - $9,999

teddy and Jeanine diaz de riveraben and rose olivascora m. tellezwells fargo bank, n.a.

Benefactor$3,000 - $4,999

alex and babsy abelaroderick c. m. hallsoledad manaay-haydentalas engineering

Sponsor$1,000 - $2,999

carmencita and arnaldo agcaoilidr. agnes y. alikpalaanX home healthcareleilani vinegas atismalou babiloniadado and maria banataobank of america employee matching giftskatrina montinolamarilen b. bernardoevangeline canonizado buellma. angela castrochevron texaco employee matching giftsmarya coburncielito and Polly cortezdae advertisingsonia t. delen

shirley b. dimapiliseliza d. duermedr. edmund and tanya duldulaoeast meets west foundationmaya escuderoJd estela, ivdr. maryjane fustergoogle matching gifts Programruth and gareth hillJoyce and archie ibardolasaJames and cay limrafael c. lumanlanemmanuel and ma. lourdes macedamarivic c. agoncillo dds, inc.lourdes d. martinezconsuelo h. mchughmZr inc. gordon manorZinnia s. orosadeborah g. ouyangPhilippine association of university womenernesto P. Pinpinrely Pio rodacris and evelyn raimundoelaine r. serina, Ph. d.mitchell starkThomasians, usatoppings din corporationubs employee giving Programs

dr. cesar and suzette veluzfrance m. vianavictor n. villagraciawells fargo community support campaignyochum familyannabelle yuchengcoJohann yuzon

Patron$500 - $999

Joseph anonuevoanne hunt archerat&t employeesgeorge and frieda bakershirley bien, dmdedele borbonPaul and lois brionescecilio r. buisancalifornia state automobile associationann bess chanco, dmdmitchell chernockcornelius cuPeter and arlene rojodr. mary ann fernandezfilipino american association of foster citydr. r. flavia foresti-lorentehana Zen restauranthm integrated servicesJulieta hudsonedward and nena ickinquirer interactive marketingkaiser matching gifts Programlupita and ken kashiwaharahelena leiner katzagnes c. kingcharmaine mesinalloyd lacuestaangelita louieZenaida mallariterry mcgeecarrick mclaughlinamy millmanmanuel monzonmaximo and dr. Patria abaya natividadmark t. ngconsuelo f. Pallasvictoria t. Perezshauna s. Petersonsusan Po rufino

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Philippine International Aid 9

vivian Pobletemila Quilbanwilliam radulovichrebarts interiorsray b. riessma. lourdes rivera-Peoplesmario a. santosmary Jo smith-vaughngeorge and barbara syciptancinco law officesconchita and ricardo taylorPeter and Jessica tcherepninedr. anthony l. villanuevavicky wong

Donor$300 - $499

antonio abarquezcarlos y. abayaJose and maria albanooscar and margarita alvaradoJeffrey amantevincent arcegagina and alex atanacioauntie em's fine foodsdrs. eugenio and trinidad balbuenadiane b. bautistareginald bernabedr. lucia c. cabreroscisco matching gifts Programsarah Jane f. cobbThe coffee adventure companysherida i. davidmaximo de los reyesgenevieve deedelphi consumer insightsevelyn and John dilsavernora ebioJuannie engfil-am friendship networkerlinda galeondr. corinna gamezPrudence gaspargiggles and grins dental careThe hauser family foundationhotel whitcombneil and yvonne go Josonromelyn Josonkaren klein and guy resheffadam and dr. ester kotowskinate and mary lanelbc mundial corporationdr. curtis lee and Joyce trompetaaurora and eric linakmila and ernie llorentedr. william lubartluvican, inc.michael gil magnaye

dr. rosanna marquezTheresa s. martinezdiane dwyer sharpkatrina mayollorna h. mellogloria meloneJosie r. mendozaeva m. monroeleila l. nachtigallnational Pension consultantsJames e. nortonPixie r. o'neilldr. lourdes olivares-agcaoilimark and imelda oppenheimrowena ortegaoum & co., llPcarrie and michael Pohlalejandro and maria Prietosusan reissgary resurreccionlourdes f. riusmarie rivera-yip

bess t. rocesmaria sabadoJocelyn sanchezinez f. sandejasseton medical centerdr. edmundo a. somozagiselda and eustaquio tananatalio ubaldeunon bank of california employee givingangela m. wattsmicki wongceline young

Supporter$100 - $299

louie abadtoby aldelmansylvia v. adrianodanilo m. africasusan J. aguadoJoseph and evelyn alfonsodr. rozzana and nestor aligaclaire allphinwendy andong

alva appelconcita applegateeliseo argamasodr. azucena l. arguellesJoan arvoldrenato astudillodaniel ayalaronald banksma. Theresa barisnelson barry, iiikavoos g. bassiriduarte batistaenrico bautistabradley bertalanlourdes ramirez beltran, dmdbetter homes real estatePatrick J. bolandbooks for the barriosdr. Peter l. brionsusan brissenden-smithbrixton autobody and Paintalexander m. brownJuan buenomargaret g. burkesherri b. burkekarina calayagfrederic c. calindassherman and ria calingaofelia P. capuyancarlos castranoalexandria christakosrene P. ciria cruzrose codr. eleanor r. constantinoJesus cruzroderico and elizabeth cruzdr. Joseph cuwinston and Pam damarilloelizabeth damesvicente and grace davidemil and maggie de guzmanleopoldo de guzmande los reyes king street dentalteresa de riveraJoanne del rosarioligaya de la cruzlydia de la cruzmalou de la fuentecharles u. de la torrerene de los santosclarissa dimacalirichard and dorothy dorsayralph and evelyn dreschlerchristina m. dunhamelaine elinsonfides enriquezcarmen estevaelizabeth estevafilipina women's network

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katrina finnegandulce frankewilliam P. fuller, ivJulia gallichiogap foundation gift match Programeric gatchaliangenentech employee giving ProgramJosephine gerardoodette godenise gonzalezPatricia and michael gonzalezterrence and bonnie goslinervirginia c. gualbertoleslie guevarraJerome a. gutierrezJames and lynda hamptond. t. handana and gonzalo hernandezchristopher hestmaria Zosima hillbilly ickTheresa and edward ickmarissa imperialshareen Jafriimran Jivanistephen kech and randy ortegaemiliana yabot keithgail m. kongrafael J. ladaosophie ladenlaJose and gorgonia lagudaisagani f. laguismadeborah d. landstrassdr. felicidad g. lao-domingoPat and ana larracaseleanor lasolaeileen laurenafred and Jean leonardmichael liangmartin and gracie licuangreg and gigi macabentaPatricia s. makalintalJaime t. maliksiJeffrey manalangdr. clementina l. manioraymond and maria manzanoThe marketing edgemaria b. marsellaestela c. matrianomarita mayerelsie mcateermichael g. mcnealnorbert medeevelyn meloneedna murrayPhoung t. nguyenrona nicolasestela nolascoanna and clarissa ocampo

ms. teresa d. ojedamarisa ottovictoria s. Padillasalvador f. PartiblePg&e corp. campaign for the communityPhilippine newslydia and edward Pomposoismael and christina Pugetaedcelyn n. Pujolnorman and belgica Quintelanicholas radkedelia and antonio ragadiomaria raimundoruby ramirezrbc llcmonina resminiThe reyes family trustJohn w. rhodesmarisa robbins-mizonolouis t. rodrigoadolph and normita roldanJudith romanenkovbritta rosenthalrosill, inc.adelaida rubiaJacqueline ryanlaarni san Juananita h. sanchezsanding dental, inc.danilo santiagoJoe and evangeline santosrichard and maria santosPelcyida sarnomelissa d. saulognylette and danilo saulogsave a tahananmark s. scurriacarol sebastian-gorettieleanor and danilo sebastiancarol simmonsrupert and maria suarezluz sumaganganna Theresa supnetkatherine swancelina tablantebeverly taduranlourdes and Jauw tanarnel and vivian tecsonelvira teodoroJohn and nilda timbsrosalina tintinganJulina togononnoe and cora tuasonmaria Paz vanderburghtessie evelyn velicariamilagros vizcarraronald v. wagnerethel a. ward

karen s. webbmarites wongJan yanehiroeduard yapdr. dely young-cuJeremy yuma. luisa yujuicoJesus Zapanta

FriendBelow $100

alexander and belina acenaselvira v. aryanlisa bailenarmando baricannora barrientosblue ribbon opticalalbert boro, Jr.vincent brownmichael and loreizl cahinhinandr. norma c. catajankatherine cloutmanrowena and noel columnagianina dahlenteresita dasaliaterry acebo davisde lila donovanroy ferreiracaroline franciscorachel Penalosa geeJoaquin gonzalezmary o'connor hausershavee kapoorJames and maria limrowena lomboyvirginia lozanomary macedaJohn and graceamanda manginiherb martineztina m. maynigoJohn nguyenederlinda and ricardo noblemarietta and ruben ocamporuby onaalfredo P. Patiagdr. mariano m. rayosJennifer rhynegeorge and catherine romeroemmanuel and christina ruizcarlos salazarmaria sanchez-chansusan shieldsathena taylanJose and maria luna tesoreromaria y. urquhartalison and robert wegener

Philippine International Aid 11

Other barriers include poor health and physi-cal inaccessibility of schools (i.e., far distance, no transportation, lack of schools).

Poverty,accordingtoPIDS,mayalsoaffectachild’s academic performance – this may be attributed to the observation that poor children usually eat less nutritious food; hence, their mental and physical health is more likely to suffer.

Highest grade completed by Filipino working children (Total as of 2012: 2.3 million)

No grade completed 2.5%

Elementary graduate 16.6%

High school graduate 14.7%Post-secondary

graduateLess than .02%

College undergraduate

1.5%

(Source: DOLE 2012)

Iftheyarealreadyinbadshapefromanearlyage, the consequences may follow them up to adult-hood.

The study also observed that children from poor families are less likely to be sent to kindergar-ten.“Householdsthathaveheadswithmoreeduca-tion appear to put more premium on a pre-primary aged child’s participation in school.”

In the Philippines, elementary is the highesteducational attainment for the majority of house-hold heads, the latest National Nutrition Survey (NNS) from 2011 showed.

Itcanbeaviciouscycle.If theparentswereunable toaccessadequate

nutrition and education as children, they are less likely to be fully aware of proper childcare practices, unless interventions are made. They are also less likely to land well-paying jobs – either because of poor health or limited skill sets – hence lowering their chances of escaping poverty.

All these can put their children at risk of liv-ing the same cycle as they grow up.

If children are a country’s future, then long-term investments must be made as early as possible.

“Early child care and education experience (ECCE) has contributed to breaking the cycle of poverty; it also offers an entry point and platform for improving social equity and inclusion,” Unesco stressed.

PH Laws on KindergartnersAnother problem is the lack of awareness of

the laws and programs protecting children.In 1974, the Philippines enacted the Child

and Youth Welfare Code, which enumerates therights of children, including the right to education, care, and an “efficient government.”

The 2012 UNESCAP statistical yearbook, however, revealed that the Philippines only had a 51.3% pre-primary enrollment rate – lower than our neighbors Vietnam (70%) and Thailand(100%).

But the Philippines still fared better than oth-er Southeast Asian countries:

Pre-primary education enrolment rateIndonesia Below 50%

Laos Around 20%

Myanmar Below 15%

Cambodia Below 15%(Source: UNESCAP 2012)

In 2013, the Philippines created a law –RepublicAct10410ortheEarlyYearsAct–whichrecognizes the age 0-8 as the “first crucial stage of educational development.” It mandates the “earlychildhood care and development” (ECCD) Council to strengthen community and family-level pro-grams for children:

•Daycareservices,child-mindinghomes•Neighborhoodplaygroups•Parenteducationandeffectivenessservices•Trainingfordaycareandbarangayworkers•HomevisitingprogramsThe council is also mandated to work with

DepEd, the Department of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD), the National NutritionCouncil, the Department of Health, and ULAP(Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines).

The “National System for ECCD,” however, was actually formed as early as 2000 through RA 8980 or the ECCD Act, which had the same provi-sions plus emphasis on the role of local government units(LGUS)insupportingECCDprograms.

The law affirms parents as a child’s “primary caregivers and first teachers.” ECCD programs are only there to provide support.

And as early as 1991, the country already crafted an “Education For All” (EFA) plan which also cited ECCD. The plan was in response to Une-sco’s international call for EFA which is to be achieved by 2015.

Critics, however, say that the Philippines is good at planning policies but fail at actual imple-mentation.

In 2011, the Philippines was determined toprovide “equal opportunities for all children to avail of accessible mandatory and compulsory kindergar-ten education” through RA 10157 or the ‘Kinder-garten Act.’

The law declared kindergarten a part of the

The Children Who Can't...Continued from page 1

Filipino children and poverty:•26.5%of thePhilippinespopulation livesbelowthe poverty line.•ThenumberofpoorFilipinofamilieshasgoneupfrom 4.36 million in 1985 to 5.14 million in 2000.

Filipino children and abuse & exploitation:•Between1999and200812%ofFilipinochildrentook part in child labor.• Children in the Philippines are engaged in theworst forms of child labor, particularly in agricul-ture, domestic work, home based industries, prosti-tution, trafficking and pornography.• Throughout urban settings in the Philippineschildren live and work on the streets, scavenging, begging and engaging in other income generating activities.• Corporal punishment is illegal but still widelypracticed in Filipino schools, homes and other set-tings.•PhysicalandsexualabuseofchildreninthePhil-ippines is widespread and of concern.

Bahay Tuluyan is a non government organization that provides a variety of programs and services aimed at preventing and responding to abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines.

Bahay Tuluyan encourages visitors to get a greater understanding of children’s rights in the Philippines at UNICEF, World Bank and Economy Watch where these facts were gathered from.

Statistics on Filipino...Continued on page 1

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country’s basic education system and a prerequisite toGrade1.

Public kindergartens are free of charge.DSWD also began supplementary feeding

programs (SFP) among public kindergartens in 2011.However,theSFPalsoexperiencesproblemssuch as financial constraints.

SomeLGUsandnon-governmentalorganiza-tions(NGOs)acrossthecountryalsoconducttheirown education and nutrition-related programs.

Unfortunately, some parents remain unaware. Intotal,therearearound10.8millionFilipino

children aged 5-9 as of 2012, according to DOLE.Only some of them would have access to their

basic needs. And sadly, not everyone could harvest their fullest potentials. – Fritzie Rodriguez/Rappler.com. First published on June 19, 2014

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Philippine International AidThe Children’s Fundwww.phil-aid.org5226 Diamond Heights Blvd.San Francisco, CA 94131Tel 415-401-7157E-mail: philaid@sbcglobal.netTax ID: 94-3008383

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