Philippines

Safe Kids Philippines was established and joined the Safe Kids Worldwide network in 2004. It remains the first and only non-government organization in the Philippines dedicated to preventing unintentional injuries to children ages 14 and under.

Based in Panañaque City, Metro Manila, Safe Kids Philippines brings together public health experts, corporations, volunteers and government agencies to address the leading killer of children through research, education and regulation promotion.

Safe Kids Philippines focuses its efforts on pedestrian safety, drowning and home safety and enacts programs in five cities across the country.

Highlights

7th Annual National Safe Kids Week

The 7th National Safe Kids Week in the Philippines was celebrated in June. As school opened, an essay writing contest was launched in five cities. Three winners were declared during National Safe Kids Week activities; Pasay, Paranaque and Cebu Cities won the first to third places respectively. The National Safe Kids Week also included the launch of the Walking School Bus project. Students from Paranaque City and Olongapo City presented mimes during the programs in Pasay and Olongapo Cities to illustrate the students’ grasp of the concept of Walking School Bus.

A recognition ceremony for volunteers was held in Pasay City. VIPs in attendance at Jose Rizal Elementary School in Pasay City were: FedEx Managing Director for the Philippines and Indonesia, Rhicke Jennings; the Department of Health Director, Ernie Vera, Congresswoman and a Councilor of Pasay City. A representative from the Mayor’s Office, representatives from the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Council for the Welfare of Children, officials from the Department of Education of Pasay and Parnaque also attended. Principals and teachers from the three Metro Manila cities were also present during the ceremony.

Safe-T-Kids Workshop

Safe Kids Philippines was involved in the training of teachers in the provinces of Batangas and Laguna on the Safe-T-Kids flashcards which are visual aids developed for teaching road safety in the elementary grades curriculum by the Road Safety Management Team on Education of the Department of Transportation and Communication. Safe Kids Philippines gave an overview on injury risk areas and prevention, as well as the Walk This Way program, and facilitated the workshop.  Teachers were each given a Walk This Way manual to use as a reference for teaching road safety for children.