By Maria Jenifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Philippines (PIA) — The Department of Labor and Employment in Negros Island Region (DOLE-NIR) has strengthened its monitoring of nearly 6,000 profiled child laborers in the region, prioritizing them for government interventions.
The Regional Council Against Child Labor (RCACL-NIR) convened to reinforce interagency efforts and institutional mechanisms aimed at eradicating child labor in the country by 2028.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that the number of working children aged 5 to 17 was estimated at 861,000 in 2024, continuing a downtrend from 1.09 million in 2023 and 1.48 million in 2022.
Labor and Employment Officer II Florabelle May Libawan of DOLE-NIR reported that DOLE profiled 5,749 child laborers in the region in 2025—60%, or 3,475, from Negros Oriental; 35%, or 2,020, from Negros Occidental; and 5%, or 254, from Siquijor.
Child labor was most prevalent in Negros Oriental, where the municipalities of Bindoy, Mabinay, Manjuyod, Ayungon and Tanjay City recorded the highest concentrations.
Libawan noted that the agriculture sector has consistently employed the highest share of working children, given the region’s extensive sugarcane plantations.
Of the 5,749 profiled child laborers, 77%, or 4,428, were engaged in farming; 368 in fishing; 236 in domestic work; 186 in forestry; 142 in construction; 71 in quarrying; 47 in manufacturing; and 27 in transportation, among others.
“A large number of child laborers are exposed to various hazardous conditions. The most common is exposure to physical injury because they are engaging in hazardous activities using tools that are inappropriate for their age,” said Libawan.
DOLE’s Technical Support and Services Division Chief Nole Torres said child labor remains a pressing challenge deeply rooted in poverty, noting that NIR has one of the highest poverty rates in the country.
Under DOLE’s Child Labor Prevention and Elimination Program (CLPEP), 208 parents or guardians of child laborers in Negros Oriental and Siquijor received direct government assistance to help ensure their children could attend school and complete their education.
Through livelihood assistance awarded to parents, DOLE aims to boost family income and keep children from returning to hazardous work.
In 2025, DOLE’s Project Angel Tree provided food, clothing, hygiene kits and educational materials—sourced from donors referred to as “angels”—to 311 children in Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Torres stressed that addressing child labor demands convergence, coordination and sustained collaboration, calling for the institutionalization of a unified approach to ensure that “all children deserve to learn, to grow and to dream free from exploitation.”
Under Republic Act No. 9231, child labor refers to any work performed by a child under 18 that subjects the child to exploitation or is harmful to his or her health, safety or physical, mental and psychological development. (JCT/PIA-NIR Negros Oriental)
