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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Every child has a right. A child needs to survive, grow, participate and meet

their potential they apply equally to every child, regardless of ethnicity, gender or

religion. These are the basic foundations of the 42 rights of a child ratified by the

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, regarding to the

rights of children it is very evident that there are so many cases and issues where the

people of different nations are facing nowadays and one of this is the inglorious

concept of child labor. A work that deprived children of their childhood, their

potential and their dignity, and which is harmful to children’s’ physical and mental

development. The International Labor Organization (2018) insisted that employing

little children in business and industry not only helps the employer to save money but

also helps the comfort of the employer.

According to the aforementioned institution, it is a big sin of society. In the

Philippines, the term “child” recently acquired a new meaning upon the enactment of

Republic Act 7610 in 1992, otherwise known as the Special Protection of Children

Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The said law devotes an entire

chapter on working children, expanded the definition of children to mean persons

below eighteen (18) years of age or those over but unable to fully take care of

themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or

discrimination because

of a physical or mental disability or condition. On many studies, it was proven that

it is as always a product. Poverty, as discussed by Andrei (2012) poverty is the state

of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material

possessions.

In the context of National Anti-Poverty Commission of the Philippines, the

rate of children age 6-12 are not studying but instead earning money at early age upon

not knowing everything aside from they do it for their family due to poverty.

According to the data given by ILO Philippines and 2011 Survey on Children of the

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) the estimated number of children aged 5 to 17

years who worked for at least one-hour 2011 was 3.3 million. They accounted for

12.4 percent of the estimated 26.6 million children 5 to 17 years old in the country

about 95 per cent of them are in hazardous work. Sixty-nine per cent of these are aged

15-17 years old, beyond the minimum allowable age for work but still exposed to

hazardous work. They prefer to do a job rather than to play which affects the

childhood life of the said children.

In addition, poverty is one of the main problems in the Philippines that really affect

the aspects of life of every Filipinos. However, it also hit the childhood life of

children that engaged to poverty. In addition, the emotional, social, physical,

development of children has a direct effect on their overall development and on the

future they will become. That is why understanding the need to invest in very children

is so important, so as to maximize their future well-being. Moreover, In Region III or

in Central Luzon the poverty incidence affecting the childhood life of children
particularly in the areas of Nueva Ecija who has the highest number of poor families,

followed by Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, Bulacan and Bataan according to (Region

III quick stat) and in the various areas of the municipality of Mariveles Ironically, all

the 12 municipalities in Bataan is being conferred with the seal of Child-Friendly

Local Governance. In addition, last January 4, 2019 the municipality of Mariveles in

Bataan was among the selected municipalities who were recognized by both local and

national government as ‘Most child-friendly Local Government Unit in Bataan’ as per

Provincial Council on the Welfare of Children (PCWC) municipality of Mariveles

used to receive the above stated recognitions for the third consecutive time. According

to the Municipal Administrator of Mariveles Jesus Russel T. Maninang, bared that

their town is the third richest municipality in the entire country. Mariveles is the

number three (3) richest out of a total of 1,489 towns, according to the 2016

Commission on Audit (COA) Annual Financial Report.

However, many families living in the streets are observable in the municipality of

Mariveles especially in the Barangay Sisiman which where a place called fisherman’s

wharf named ‘LAGPAN’. Lagpan is somewhat an unfamiliar or informal place

conversant only to the people in it and where the researchers can find fisherman’s safe

areas for their boats and other fishing tools and equipment it can also be found there

some areas intended to dried fishes and other sea products, in accordance to the

people who lived in Barangay Sisiman. Based on the estimation of former barangay

councilor John Manuel the numbers of people residing the vicinity of Lagpan are

about thirty (30) families. Many children of families who lacks in financial stability

goes to Lagpan not just to earn money on the other hand, but for the fishermen to give
them fishes in return of cleaning their boats, it was locally known as ‘pamamakaw’,

these children done either these two thing after getting the fruit of their labor, first,

they will bring it in their home as part of their meal and 2 nd, they will sell it inside the

small wet market to have a money for their allowance, or as part of their family’s

daily budget. But aside from pamamakaw, some of the children are also fishermen,

some of them are going in the middle of the seas at early three o’clock in the morning

up to three o’clock in the afternoon or vise-versa they work almost half of a day just

to get money and help themselves and their families. In count of this, poverty looks

different throughout the world. There were lots of researchers who wrote and narrated

the lives of different child laborers in line with poverty and in different places in the

Philippines, their lives were uncovered in different angles by different researchers and

all of the children based on the published researches were truly the victims.

Pursuant to the 1987 Constitution, the State shall defend the right of children

to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all

forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their

development (Article XV, Section 3). As with the Department of Education, it

acknowledges that incidences of abuse may occur in a school setting due to the

difficult circumstances faced by teachers and other school administrators. Thus, it

enacted the Child Protection Policy to give exceptional protection to children who are

harmed or endangered by situations that inhibit their normal development and over

which they have no influence, and to support the relevant authorities in their

rehabilitation (Department of Education Order No. 40, s. 2012). In addition, the

policy reaffirms the duties and responsibilities of school personnel, from the School
Head to the students themselves, as well as the preventive/protective and corrective

measures to address child abuse, mistreatment, violence, discrimination, and bullying,

as well as other acts of cruelty.

In this study, the researcher wants to uncover the live experiences of the

children of Lagpan. There are no researches can be found on the children of Lagpan,

yet they were trapped in a situation affecting their education, their health, and their

future lives. The researcher would like to take the opportunity to express the voices of

how poverty affects the childhood life children of Lagpan and their future. These

children are more exposed in the different vulnerabilities in life under the concept of

child labor. Poverty affecting childhood life can have implications throughout an

individual's life whether it is psychological problem from poor nutrition or

psychological issues arising from the social implications of poverty. This study also

attempting to discover what factors contribute to the life of children in Lagpan in a

life filled with downgrading and abuse as well as those factors which allow them to

live and survive despite of their situations under their unfortunate situation as child

laborers.

This study provides data to inform the mechanism by which poverty

negatively impacts the childhood life of being a child laborer. To investigate and

know the real-life- situation of selected children in Lagpan and how poverty affects

the different aspects of their lives and their future. In educational perspective this

study will contribute in promoting awareness in one of the main problems of our

society which is child labor that could enlighten each and every one about the
aforementioned dilemma and how it will be prevented.

Statement of the Problem

The general problem of the study is: How do the experiences of the children

of Lagpan in Brgy. Sisiman, Mariveles in the province of Bataan constitute their

resiliency as child laborers?

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions?

1. What are the experiences of Batang Lagpan as child laborers?

2. What insight may be derived from the narratives?

3. What are the essences of the experiences of Batang Lagpan as child laborers?

4. Based on the findings, what infographic may be proposed?

Significance of the Study

The study is deemed significant to the following entities:

Local government Units. By identifying the factors that contribute to the

growing number of children who don’t go to school but instead they are working to

get a small amount of money as the government gain the result of the problem being

address, the government can prevent or lesser the number of children who are not

studying and working in their early ages. Also, the result of the study may provide

additional insight and knowledge about the problem emerging nowadays. The

government have bigger role for

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this problem since they manage the booming number of poverty and uneducated

children in our society.

Department of Education. This government unit plays an important role in

molding the behavior and futures of the next generation, with that through the

findings of this study the school’s division leaders and personnel will be informed that

such problem exists and it will be a great help to promote awareness to school level

which the particular participants will benefit by giving them some understanding and

considerations on their situations by means of different interventions and etc. and on

how are they going to basically help the children.

Department of Social Welfare and Development. The result of the study

may help the DSWD to know if the family especially the parents can provide the

needs of their children. So that they can give proper action and protection to the

uneducated children and children working in their early age in accordance to our

existing laws about child labor.

Child Laborers in Lagpan. This study serves as the basic foundation of

information that will make the child laborers sentient regarding their actions. The

child laborers can benefit from this study for they will understand the danger of their

work, the possible effects of child labor to their future lives. The researchers are

looking forward in some changes in the attitude and behavior of the person involved

in the illegal laboring.

Family and relatives. The findings of the study may help the family and

relatives to educate them on the rights of the children. The data can aid them to use

their full effort to understand the children and give them more attention to support
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their needs and provide guidance and give them moral advices for they are the

primary contributors of the learned experiences and molded behavior of the

participating children in this study.

Community in Lagpan. Since child laboring has one of the most visible

negative impact on the community, they can make use of the results as basis in

finding out their real present situation. The community serves as the area where public

intervention continuously happens. The researchers are looking forward in every

community under the study that they will take some action and step to prevent this

kind of felony.

Future Researchers. The result of this study may serve as reference for

related topics. The future researcher will be guided throughout the research process in

their seeking of a more suitable output for their work. This will be an important

contribution to studies which aim to bring competent and effective social researchers.

Scope and Delimitations

This case study type of research aims to identify the experiences of

children in Lagpan who are living in Brgy. Sisiman in the Municipality of Mariveles

in the province of Bataan.

The participants of the study were composed of 9 children who are working on

their early age. They were identified according to their names (optional), specific age,

educational background, socio-economics statues and religious affiliations.

Moreover, the participants were described in terms of their early

childhood memories. Coping mechanisms in what their lives are like today and their
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plans and dreams for the future. Their experiences in their place which is in Lagpan,

and the effects of it into their personal, social, emotional, educational and spiritual

aspects of personality factors that contribute to their ability to not only survive but to

cope in their society were considered part of the study.

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Notes in Chapter I

International Labor Organization

Philippine Information Agency (2018). Child Labor in the

Philippines https://pia.gov.ph>news>articles

Philippine Statistics Authority (2017). Data on Child

Labor https://psa.gov.ph/tags/working-children

https://philippinesgraphic.net/build-

build-build/ https://www.unicef.org.nz

https://pcw.gov.ph/law/republic-act-

7610 http://www.otal.umd.edu.

National Anti-poverty

Commission (2009)

https://www.britannica.com/topic/

poverty
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