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These children are hired because, more often than not, they are
paid a lot less than the minimum wage, they require less food
intake, tire less easily and they have no need to apply for such
things as medical plans, SSS (Social Security System) or
retirement. Tasks like carrying heavy cement bags are assigned to
these children because they are said to be stronger anyway, so why
not? The truth of the matter is, with all this hard work, low pay
and lack of a medical plan, they become weaker and weaker,
eventually causing them to lose their job and their income. The
result of this is either their younger siblings are forced to work,
or the whole family suffers from starvation.
 What is the government doing about this?
There have been bills passed regarding this issue, but the
implementation of taking these children off the streets and into
school has not been successful. To them, their education is less
important than their family's survival. In the future however,
perhaps there could be something done about this, maybe even
forcing these children's parents to find a job instead of spending
the hours of the day sitting at home watching television or
gambling.
Among the 3.6 million working Filipino children, 20.7% are in
rural, and 11.5% urban areas. Most rural males work in farms while
girls tend to be confined within the realm of household chores. The
rest are found in an employer’s household, the marketplace,
fisheries, mines and quarries, and factories.
Further Reading
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