DOLE draws up plan vs child labor in Compostela mines

Labor officials in Mindanao have drawn up an action plan to eliminate child labor – particularly the use of children in mining activities – there. According to Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 11 office's plan focuses on the mines of Maragusan in Compostela Valley province. “The action plan underscores the DOLE’s efforts to accomplish the 22-point labor and employment agenda of President Benigno S. Aquino III, which stresses the protection of the rights of workers including children who are forced to work in hazardous conditions," Baldoz said in an article on the DOLE website. Reports from DOLE Regional Office 11 showed more than 150 minors are working in the mines of Pamintaran in Maragusan, Compostela Valley, as “packers" or gold ore porters. The youth workers, aged 14 to 17, carry ore gravel weighing 50 kilos or more from the tunnel entrance to the loading station. On the way, they negotiate slippery and treacherous mountain trails. "Some of the youth laborers are also working as ball mills, water porters and even 'avanteros' or miners," the DOLE said. Many youth workers in the Maragusan mines are from Mandaya, one of the largest indigenous communities in Kagan Valley, which is the most inaccessible and poorest barangay in Davao Oriental. Labor officials in the region spearheaded profiling and action planning workshops with officials in the local government unit and other stakeholders in Davao. They sought to formulate activities that would help eliminate youth and child labor in Maragusan. DOLE-11 Director Jalilo dela Torre said the regional office will provide livelihood assistance and conduct livelihood and skills training for the Mandayas and residents of Marasugan under the Grow Micro program to help improve their living conditions. He said the selected beneficiaries from the Mandaya and Marasugan communities will be provided with training services, business mentoring and advisory, referral for micro-credit assistance, social protection and marketing linkages. Meanwhile, participants in the action planning workshop suggested the immediate removal of minors in the mining area and the provision of training for the youth of Kagan Valley and Maragusan. They also recommended infrastructure and value formation for the minors and their families. The recommendations were presented to Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Compostela Valley and Sangguniang Bayan ng Maragusan for appropriate actions. — LBG, GMANews.TV