Philstar.com
November 13, 2025 | 2:00pm
MANILA, Philippines — Malacanang has reaffirmed its commitment to protect and rehabilitate children caught in conflict situations, according to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP).
“The launching of Bangsamoro protocol on handling ‘children in situations of armed conflicts’ gets full backing from President Marcos and his administration,” said SAP Anton Lagdameo.
The initiative, launched in celebration of Bangsamoro Children’s Month, underscores a unified effort to protect and rehabilitate children affected by armed conflict, viewing them as victims in need of care and reintegration rather than as offenders.
Police Col. Jemuel F. Siason, Deputy Regional Director for Operations of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, represented the security sector’s participation, emphasizing law enforcement’s role in safeguarding children’s rights and welfare across conflict-affected areas.
The BARMM CSAC Protocol serves as a localized implementation of Republic Act No. 11188, or the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act, which mandates comprehensive protection and assistance for minors exposed to armed violence. It operationalizes coordination between the national government, the BARMM ministries, and security agencies to prevent recruitment, facilitate rescue and recovery, and ensure psychosocial rehabilitation of affected children.
Lagdameo underscored the administration’s resolve to uphold the rights of children in conflict zones, reiterating that the Marcos administration remains steadfast in enforcing the Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Law across all relevant sectors.
“Children have the right to a safe, healthy, and carefree childhood. They do not belong in the battlefield and they have the right not to know the horrors of war. Armed conflict, of which children have no say in, deprives them of their rights to be children,” he said.
He also cited the ongoing efforts of the Department of Social Welfare and Development to reinforce the “children as zones of peace” principle — a doctrine that promotes the idea that children and areas they occupy must be free from any act of hostility.
“The principle that we wish for everyone in the Philippines to internalize is that children are zones of peace. Children embody the most compelling justification for the existence of States to protect its most vulnerable charges as it would preserve itself. A state without children is a state on the brink of extinction,” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also placed the welfare of children in the Bangsamoro region among his administration’s priorities, particularly those affected by decades of armed conflict.
“Children deserve utmost protection from all forms of danger. All efforts must, therefore, be exerted to ensure that they are sheltered and protected at all times,” the President has emphasized earlier.
The launch of the BARMM CSAC Protocol marks a major milestone in institutionalizing localized child protection mechanisms within conflict-affected areas, while complementing the broader national peace and development agenda.
By strengthening inter-agency collaboration among the BARMM government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and humanitarian partners, the protocol aims to ensure that no Filipino child is left behind amid the pursuit of lasting peace in Mindanao.