Section 4. Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children. – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall formulate a Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children, hereinafter referred to as the Program, taking into consideration humanitarian standards for their protection. The Program shall be used as the basis for handling disasters and other emergency situations to protect children, pregnant and lactating mothers, and support their immediate recovery. This shall be implemented immediately after the declaration of a national or local state of calamity or occurrence of any other emergency situation.
The DSWD shall engage all relevant government agencies and stakeholders for the implementation of the Program. Local government units (LGUs) shall integrate the same in their development and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) plans and budget.
The Program shall be gender-sensitive and have the following components:
Establishment of Evacuation Centers. – LGUs shall establish and identify safe locations as evacuation centers for children and families subject to the limitations found in Section 5 of this Act.
Establishment of Transitional Shelters for Orphaned, Separated, and Unaccompanied Children. – The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall, in coordination with the DSWD, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and LGUs of the areas declared under a state of calamity, immediately establish an option for transitional shelters, prioritizing vulnerable and marginalized groups including orphaned, separated, and unaccompanied children, and pregnant and lactating mothers. New transitional shelters, established pursuant to this Act, shall be designed with the following considerations: gender-specific emergency latrines, bathing cubicles, and hand washing facilities specifically designed for children. It shall provide mother and child-friendly spaces where children can take part in child activities. It shall also have provisions for maternal and newborn and infant care and rooms to protect, feed, provide personal care, and ensure the right to privacy. Existing transitional shelters shall be modified to the extent possible to comply with the abovementioned considerations.
Assurance for Immediate Delivery of Basic Necessities and Services. – The Program shall facilitate and ensure the immediate delivery of basic necessities and services specifically required by the affected children in different stages of development such as access to basic health services, food, water, nutrition, medicines, clothing, sanitary and hygiene kits, and other emergency needs such as blankets, mosquito nets, cooking ware and fiiel, and flashlights. The Program shall give priority to the specific health and nutrition needs of pregnant women, lactating mothers, newborn babies, children under five (5) years old and children with special needs.
Stronger Measures to Ensure the Safety and Security of Affected Children. – Under the Program, the Philippine National Police (PNP) shall, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the DSWD, DILG, LGUs, Department of Education (DepED), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and CSOs in the community, monitor and ensure the safety and the security of the affected children in the areas declared under a state of calamity and shall protect them against all forms of abuse and exploitation.
Upon the declaration of a national and local state of calamity, the PNP and the DSWD, with the assistance of the AFP operating units in the area and local councils against trafficking and violence against women and their children, in accordance with existing laws, shall immediately heighten comprehensive measures and monitoring to prevent child trafficking, labor, and prostitution, including domestic and sexual violence, in the areas declared under a state of calamity.
The DSWD shall require all government agencies, LGUs, and CSOs which are tasked to provide any assistance or services to the affected children to adopt a child protection policy. The child protection policy shall include measures to deter and effectively respond to cases of violence, abuse, and exploitation of children.
All LGUs shall prioritize the establishment and functionality of the barangay violence against women and children (VAWC) desks. The VAWC desk shall serve as one of the key reporting and referral mechanism for cases of violence, abuse, and exploitation of children in the barangay diming all phases of emergency response and recovery.
Children shall be given priority during evacuation as a result of a disaster or other emergency situation. Existing CSOs in the community shall be tapped to look after the safety and well-being of children during evacuation operations. Measures shall be taken to ensure that children evacuated are accompanied by persons responsible for their safety and well-being.
Delivery of Health, Medical, and Nutrition Services. – Under the Program, the DOH, in coordination with the DSWD, LGUs, and CSOs in the community, shall provide the health, medical, and nutritional needs of children in the areas declared under a state of calamity, including psychosocial interventions for children in different stages of development.
Plan of Action for Prompt Resumption of Educational Services for Children. – The DepED, in coordination with the DSWD, DILG, and the concerned LGUs shall ensure the prompt resumption of educational services for all children, including early childhood care and development for children aged below five (5).
Establishment of Child-friendly Spaces. – The concerned LGU shall set up child-friendly spaces in every city or municipality declared under a state of calamity, as needed, based on the guidelines to be promulgated by the DSWD. In addition, LGUs shall coordinate with lead agencies and CSOs to effectively respond to the needs of the children in the area. Child-friendly spaces shall be made available throughout a crisis, from emergencies to recovery.
In case the concerned LGU cannot immediately respond due to the huge impact of disaster, the DSWD, together with the concerned national government agencies and in coordination with the CSOs and other stakeholders, as well as nearby LGUs, shall provide the necessary child care services and social protection of affected children.
Promotion of Children’s Rights. – The Program shall include activities and processes that will promote and uphold the rights of children by:
Providing child-centered training for all responders;
Ensuring that children are provided with adequate access to age-appropriate information on their roles and responsibilities and those of government agencies before, during, and after disasters and other emergency situations;
Providing an effective mechanism for training and meaningful participation of children in community disaster risk reduction program; and
Consulting with the affected children on their needs and priorities for post-disaster relief and recovery.