Twenty children who were once in child labor received a total of P400,000 in cash and school supplies from the Bangsamoro Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) on October 9, the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO) reported.
The children come from the municipalities of Old Kaabakan and Kadayangan in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
What Each Child Received
Under the 2026 Bangsamoro Child Labor Sagip Program (BCLSP), each child, together with a parent or legal guardian, received:
- P15,000 in cash
- P5,000 worth of school bags and learning materials
- Sagip means “rescue” in Filipino.
The Goal
The program aims to help children who were exposed to child labor and hazardous work continue their schooling and avoid going back to dangerous jobs, according to the BIO. It is run through MOLE’s Bureau of Employment Promotion and Welfare (BEPW).
“The Bangsamoro government remains committed to breaking the cycle of underage employment by reinforcing children’s fundamental right to education as the cornerstone of a child labor-free region,” the ministry said.
Local Support
The municipal government of Old Kaabakan said it “continues to support programs that advocate for children’s rights, education, and the welfare of underprivileged families.”
Why It Matters
Keeping children in school is one of the main ways to stop child labor from repeating across generations. MOLE said the payout is part of the regional government’s push to secure children’s rights across BARMM.
