The Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. (HLAF) conducted the 2019 Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) Congress on May 29-30, 2019 at Sitio Lucia Resort Hotel and Training Center, Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria, Bulacan.


The activity was attended by qualifying BCPCs nationwide that passed HLAF's BCPC Performance Indicator Monitoring and Evaluation Tool (PerMeter) and partner National Government Agencies (NGAs) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).
Atty. Rommel Alim Abitria, HLAF's Executive Director, welcomed the participants and shared the rationale behind the conduct of the BCPC Congress. He said that the activity will serve as a venue for sharing of experiences and inputs amongst the BCPCs in the country. He also stressed the importance of the roles that BCPCs play in the community. "Masaya ako na ngayon nandito ako kasama kayo, kayong mga tumatayong magulang, kayong mapagkalinga at humuhubog sa mga pag-asa ng ating bayan sa bawat komunidad. Yes, marami tayong challenges, mga hamon na kinakaharap pero naniniwala ako na dahil sa tulong ninyo kaya natin itong mapagtagumpayan", he said.
"Alam ko na ang children's issue ay isa lamang sa maraming problemang kinakaharap ng mga barangay. Kaya gusto ko kayong pasalamatan dahil pinili ninyong dumalo dito, patunay lamang na pinaprioritize ninyo ang kabataan. Mas lalo pa nating paramihin, palakasin, at pakilusin ang BCPCs" said Ms. Faye Alma Balanon, Child Protection Specialist, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), during her welcome remarks.
During the presentation for the 2019 Tatak Barangay Practice (TBP) Contest, each barangay was given 15 minutes to present their entry. Criteria are based on Originality, Relevance and Impact, Sustainability, Creativity in Presentation, and Realism.
The contest has 3 Categories namely: Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. Competing under the Level 3 are Barangay Sta. Barbara, Agoo, La Union, Barangay West Bajac-Bajac, Olongapo City, Barangay Balingasa, Quezon City, Barangay New Zaniga, Mandaluyong City, and Barangay 68 Anibong, Tacloban, Leyte. Meanwhile, Barangay Gumatdang, Itogon, Benguet, Barangay Tuding, Itogon, Benguet, Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City, and Barangay 87 San Jose, Tacloban,
Leyte are the qualifiers for the Level 4 Category. Under Level 5, contenders are
Barangay Culiat, Quezon City, and Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City.
Having acquired the highest rating of 94.5 or Ideal Level of Functionality during this
year's conduct of BCPC Functionality Audit in the City of Olongapo, Barangay West
Bajac-Bajac was chosen to represent the locality in the 2019 TBP Contest.
Barangay West Bajac-Bajac's entry is titled, "Sentrong Sanayang Teknikal ng
Kabataan (SSTK) sa West Bajac-Bajac" which is a skills training program for out of
school youths (OSYs) and unemployed young adults – a unique program in the City
of Olongapo and in the Province of Zambales. It provides free training to interested
and qualified OSYs and young adults. After the training, they will undergo the TESDA
Assessment to secure National Certification (NC) II which will provide them better
opportunities in landing a job in the future.
By the end of the activity, delegates from Barangay West Bajac-Bajac emerged
victorious after bagging the Bronze Award with a score of 88.5% under the Level 3
Category of 2019 TBP Contest.