Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and Quezon Gov. David Suarez pose for the camera with day care volunteer workers during the celebra...
 |
| Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and Quezon Gov. David Suarez pose for the camera with day care volunteer workers during the celebration of the 2018 Provincial Day Care Workers Week at Convention Center in Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) |
by John A. Bello
LUCENA CITY – Some 1,310 day care volunteer workers will be among the barangay volunteer workers to be regularized and professionalized government employees in Quezon province.
At the Provincial Day Care Workers Week convention on Wednesday, Quezon Gov. David ‘Jayjay’ Suarez and his wife, Alona partylist Rep. Anna Villaraza-Suarez vowed to give regular monthly salaries to day care workers (DCW) in the entire province aside from turning them into professional social workers in charge of the early child development of pre-school children aged 3 to 6 yrs old.
“We started giving an incentive pay of P600 to our day care workers in our province but it is now P8,000 and we shall find ways to make it monthly and to regularize them with all other barangay appointees like barangay health workers and barangay tanods (watchmen),” Gov. Suarez told the applauding day care volunteer workers led by provincial social welfare development officer Sonia Leyson at the Convention Center here.
Also present at the event were provincial government administrator Rommel Edaño, provincial agriculturist Roberto Gajo and board member Raquel Mendoza, among others.
Earlier, the governor came to the Convention Center with guest of honor, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who told the DCWs that they play an important role for universal health care system in the country.
In his speech, Roque told the participants that the government has allocated P1 billion for the free lunch program for the public elementary school students in the country and is considering the public high school students for inclusion in the program in the entire country.
Later, both Roque and Suarez went to attend the unveiling ceremony for the construction of Quezon Sports Complex project at Luis Palad National High School in Tayabas city.
Rep. Villaraza-Suarez, chairwoman of Quezon Day Care Service program, said that the bill about Magna Carta for Day Care Workers (DCW) which advocates for the professionalization of DCW and for them to have regular monthly pay and plantilla position in the government, has already been passed in the lower house and is now in the Senate for further deliberation and approval.
She extolled day care workers as having the profession “that teaches kids about art, music and dance; that teaches them good hygiene; how to eat and what to eat; basic manners, language and vocabulary; about social skills and values that build character and the proper foundation for success in the future.”
The partylist lady solon said that as chairperson of the day care service program in the province, she intends to invest heavily for the first 7 years of the children in Quezon which she considers as the developmental years of the children that would build their success in the future.
She announced the construction of a model day care center to be built in a 600 square meters lot in Bgy. F. de Jesus in Unisan town, with 120 sq. m. floor area complete with playground and kitchen for parents and other amenities with professional and trained 3 day care workers with pay.
She said that in October, there will be a first batch of 200 selected DCWs that will undergo 4-5 days training in Manila in preparation for the professionalization of DCWs in the province.
No comments