The Department reaffirmed its commitment to fostering child-friendly communities during the 2025 Child-friendly Local Governance Audit-Regional Inter-Agency Monitoring Taskforce (CFLGA-RIMTF) Exit Conference held on May 5, 2025, at the DILG Regional Office III. The saying “it takes a village to raise a child’ was the central theme during the activity which underscored the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in protecting children’s welfare.

Significant Improvement in LGU Compliance

Out of 130 LGUs assessed in the region, 117 successfully passed the 2025 CFLGA Regional Assessment, marking a 90% passing rate. This resulted to a 14% increase from the previous year’s 76.15%, where only 99 LGUs met the standards. The success can be attributed to the continued collaboration and partnership between members of the RIMTF and other stakeholders during the implementation phase.

Committed to ensure the well-being of the children, the RIMTF was composed of members from the DEPDev (formerly NEDA), DSWD, RSCWC, DOH, NNC, and IMA Foundation, that assessed all LGUs in the following areas: Survival, Development, Participation, Protection, and Governance. This holistic approach ensured a truthful and holistic assessment of child-friendly initiatives at the grassroot level.

2025 CLFGA Roll-Out for P/HUCs

Before the Regional Assessment begun in April, a roll-out activity was first conducted via Zoom Platform with participants from Provincial/HUC Focal and Alternate Persons on December 6, 2024.

The focus of the activity was the presentation of the changes in the guidelines stipulated in the DILG Memorandum Circular 2024-160. The activity included the discussion on the Technical Notes presented by the RIMT Members.

Clarifications were raised during the Q&A portion. One of which was about the change in the number of user accounts in LGUs created in the SCFLG-KMS from 5 to 2 users only this year. The decrease in the number of user accounts was a result of the effort of the CWC to improve the usability of their system.

Addressing Systemic Challenges

Despite the success, the implementation was never a walk in the park due to system glitches and errors experienced on the SCFLG-KMS by the LGUs and IMTFs. The challenges include duplication of user accounts, difficulty in saving drafts, and error in scores upon submission.

In pursuit of helping the LGUs and improving the overall implementation of the audit, the RIMTF recommended the following for NBOO and CWC’s consideration:

  1. Moving forward, dedicate a day for the KMS Stress Test before the start of Data Gathering to gauge the readiness of the system; and
  2. Conduct a calibration with the DILG and RSCWC Regional Focal Persons before the start of 2026 CFLGA next year to discuss all the challenges encountered at various levels.

Continued Collaboration and Partnership

Even heroes have to collaborate just to save the world, the same way the CFLGA-RIMTF will continue the strategy done this year which strengthens partnership between and among agencies/offices:

  • Survival: Assessed by DOH and NNC, focusing on immunization rate and data banking via FHSIS.
  • Development: Evaluated by DepEd and NEDA, examining educational initiatives.
  • Protection: Reviewed by DSWD, ensuring child safety measures.
  • Participation: Assessed by RSCWC, promoting children’s involvement in governance.
  • Governance: Evaluated by DILG, focusing on policy implementation and resource allocation.