By Erika Joy M. Baliguat and Bernadette V. Mallete (2025 EPH Interns)
“It all started in Pilar… 20 years ago,” said Marlon Villanueva, Country Director of Educo Philippines, as the organization proudly celebrated the culmination of its three projects focusing on child protection and participation.
Last July 4, Educo Philippines triumphantly held the 2025 Bata Bida Ka! Children’s Summit where more than 300 participants convened at the Pilar Gymnasium in Sorsogon, including project beneficiaries, teachers, community volunteers, and civil servants regional and local partner government agencies partners such as Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children, and Local Chief Executives from the municipalities of Albay and Sorsogon.
The event did not merely symbolize the three projects’ conclusion, but it is also a commemoration of the contributions of its participants and partners, and the milestones and achievements from each project, namely STEPS, ChildGov, and CAST, as they come to an end in August this year.
The Ending Projects
Project STEPS (Strategic Approach Towards Engaging Children in their Protection and Ensuring a Safe and Protective Environment for Children and Adolescents) aims to contribute to the development of child-led and community-led Violence Against Children (VAC) preventive and protective initiatives, including in times of crisis and disasters. This was done through the development of Child Protection Manuals and Toolkits and implementation of Safe to Learn Campaigns, in which a total of 685 children were directly involved.
Through the project, 15 Child Protection Corners (CPCs) were established along with the development of 15 Child Protection Manifestos, and 30 parents and 30 teachers were trained on Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) and Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching (PDET).
Venice, a 17-year-old child leader from Donsol, highlighted the importance of the Child Protection Corners (CPCs) for children’s wellbeing, “sa Child Protection Corner, nagco-contain po ito ng mga information na pwede pong magamit ng mga bata. Meron po dito yung mga basic terms tapos meron din po dito yung information ng mga possible contacts para meron po kaming ma-reach out in case of emergency or some circumstances.”
She asserted that through Project STEPS, her fellow youth have grown more aware and knowledgeable about their rights and the measures they can take to ensure their protection, attributing this development to the installment of a Child Protection Corner (CPC) in their school.
Meanwhile, Project ChildGov (Social Innovation for Mainstreaming Child Rights in Governance) is an innovation project under the Child Participation Program that aims to establish a mechanism for continuous awareness and promotion of child rights and wellbeing among children as rights holders and adults as duty-bearers.
Princess, a 16-year-old participant from Pilar, noted the significant difference brought by the initiative, recalling her shyness due to ignorance of the rights she has. But after her active participation in the project and membership in their Barangay Children’s Organization (BCO), she felt empowered to advocate for her fellow children.
“Meron akong karapatan na mag participate, makilahok, meron akong karapatan na mag-lead sa aming barangay—sa mga bata na kailangan ng boses para yung mga saloobin nila ay malaman din ng mga nakakatanda at may kaya na tumulong sa mga bata,” she said.
She further commended the project, attesting to having witnessed other children who were once like her too, now taking initiative to join organizations and be part of the change for the betterment of the children.
In line with Project ChildGov, Child Rights and Wellbeing Toolkits were developed and popularized among 5,597 directly involved child participants, resulting in development of their knowledge and capacity as child rights and well-being advocates.
The last commencing project, CAST (Children as Agents of Social Transformation) is an advocacy project under the Children and Youth Empowerment Agency Program that aims to capacitate children especially the child leaders on child-led project management and advocacy.
Marinhel, a 16-year-old beneficiary from Donsol, said that through the initiative, children learned to create proposals within their barangays, equipping them with the knowledge and practical skills to meaningfully contribute for the benefit of children in their communities.
“That is very memorable po kasi firsthandly we experienced kung paano talaga yun gawin without na yung supervision po ng Educo wherein talagang yung mga bata na yung mismong nag-isip kung ano yung prosesong gagawin namin,” she added.
Under the program, 262 children were trained to develop and manage projects or activities employing Educo’s ME Child Approach in Child-Led Project Management, implementing child-led awareness-raising and advocacy plans, which were supported by their respective Local Councils for the Protection of Children (LCPC) which ensured that child rights are upheld at the local level and school personnel handling Supreme Student Learners Government (SSLG).
Participants of the accomplished projects from Manito, Albay and across the municipalities of Sorsogon—Castilla, Pilar, and Donsol—set up booths that showcased the children’s creative collaboration, serving as a token of their accomplishments and hardships as volunteers and leaders of their respective organizations.
Threb, a BCO President from Donsol, was proud to announce that their booths were a result of the collaboration of their local youth, expressing his admiration and appreciation for each opinion contributed.
The booths exhibit their effort and dedication under the Project CAST and ChildGov through photographs as evidence of their best practices as child leaders in their communities.
Ending Right Where It Started
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Educo Philippines’ Country Director, Marlon Villanueva, highlighted the significance of returning to one’s roots. Looking back, Villanueva expressed his sentiments towards the growth of the projects’ beneficiaries since Educo’s first arrival in Manito, Albay and the three aforementioned municipalities of Sorsogon—especially the child leaders who are now representatives for children’s rights in the regional and national levels, with the same platforms as leading powers who function as influential figures to societies.
“You are able to hold the mic like me right now.” said Marlon Villanueva, addressing the child leaders who now represent the voice of their fellow youth through the Barangay Children’s Organizations. They, who participate and lead in campaigns, child-led advocacy learning sessions, and implement projects for the wellbeing of children.
As the said Country Director examined each of the booths, Villanueva continuously stressed the remarkability of their accomplishments, saying that the hundreds of pictures exhibited in those booths could not express how meaningful those moments of excellence that the child leaders have executed.
“..ang daming pictures, pero it was not enough. It was not enough to capture the memories. That is not enough to capture the accomplishments. It’s not enough to really see the hardships, the dedications of the BCOs, the partners that we have for Educo,” Villanueva added.
The child leaders Villanueva declaimed truly embraced their responsibilities with pride as they upheld their initiatives as change agents. With the help of Educo Philippines, children from the participating municipalities proved that they have been capacitated with the ability to uphold their rights and to advocate not just for their own protection but for those within their local communities. Thus, Educo Philippines concludes its projects’ success with the announcement of its departure for the next targeted areas to continue its mission of empowering the youth, promoting just and equitable societies that guarantee their rights and wellbeing.
Awarding of Children’s Rights and Well-Being Badges
During the Child Rights and Wellbeing badge awarding, children were commended for their outstanding performances within the three projects.
The CRWB Badge Level 1 (Bronze) is awarded for Foundational Understanding and Action, through awareness-raising and children’s capacity-building participations. While Level 2 (Silver) for Community-level Advocacy and Collaboration, signifies a deeper commitment and involvement from barangay to municipal level initiatives, and Level 3 (Gold) for Broad Impact and Policy Influence, commends involvement in government policy development and processes particularly on regional, national, and international levels.
In addition to their active involvement as officers in their respective BCOs, two notable awardees were recognized for their artistic contributions as designers of the badges, John Daryl and Apollo, two 16-year-olds from Manito, Albay. Educo Philippines is proud to have such trailblazers inspiring their peers to further enthusiasm for child participation through creative expression.
With such, two exceptionally inspiring child leaders were able to achieve special recognition. The first awardee is Jillian, a 16-year-old from Manito, Albay, who represented the Philippines, joining 9 other countries in a regional ASEAN consultation to eliminate violence against children for the 2025 Regional Consultation with Children and Youth for the 2nd ASEAN Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Children (RPA – EVAC) held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition to this, she currently acts as the Board Director of Albay Children’s Organization, President of Manito Municipal Children’s Federation, and President of their Barangay Children’s Organization.
Meanwhile, Marinhel, a 16-year-old from Donsol, had been recently inaugurated as the National Anti Poverty Commission – Children’s Basic Sector Representative. Marinhel also serves as the President for Donsol Children’s Federation, her Barangay Children’s Organization, as well as the Child Representative for Region V for the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee and the Regional Sub-Committee for the Welfare of Children.
For these, they were awarded CRWB Badges Level 1 & 2 for their contributions in programs, projects, and policies for the advancement of the rights and wellbeing of children on a regional and national scale.
Educo Philippines aspires to encourage more youth champions who will attain and embody the ideals of a CRWB Badge Level 3 recipient.
Closing Chapters, Moving Forward
Not all departures mean the turning of the last page, but some merely mark the beginning of a new chapter.
Jaypee Mapula, Educo Philippines’ Interim Program Manager, delivered the closing remarks, assuring listeners that the event marks not the end but a new beginning, as Educo Philippines ventures to new locations that have yet to join the advocacy for children’s wellbeing. He implored the BCOs and Local Government Organizations (LGOs) to continue enforcing children’s rights, expressing Educo Philippines’ gratitude for their partnership in accomplishing Projects CAST, STEPS, and ChildGov from 2022 to 2025, developing brilliant child leaders across Sorsogon that would further the initiative started with the projects.
Mapula concluded his speech by urging the audience to make the most of their available resources, stating that different organizations, such as the BCO and LGUs, may have their own initiatives, but must have goals united by the noble mission of upholding the rights of the children.
Educo Philippines hopes that the conclusion of the three projects serve as a blueprint for the future youth leaders of Sorsogon to continue their advocacy and awareness on children’s rights and the wellbeing of their fellow youth and for other generations to come.
