Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 6) — Presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman on Sunday shared his agenda for the youth should he win the election.
His agenda covers programs for out-of-school youth, young workers and persons with disabilities (PWDs) with polices on health, education and gender.
De Guzman proposed universal access to social services, and subsidies for childcare and families with children diagnosed with developmental disabilities.
He also seeks to end child labor and child marriages, to implement child protection policies against online sexual abuse, and to counter efforts to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
The labor leader stressed that he plans to end child rape by expressing support to raise the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16, among other measures.
For education, De Guzman plans to mandate schools to provide support—whether it be legal, psychological or moral—to victims of sexual harassment, and to blacklist and revoke the teaching licenses of “campus predators.” Discriminatory dress codes will also be banned under his watch.
For the out-of-school youth, he seeks equal access to integration programs on formal and informal education and work. It includes initiatives of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
De Guzman has also proposed more public funding for facilities and medical costs. He seeks free tuition for educators to get a master’s degree and doctorate, and to include climate science, labor rights and sexual and reproductive health as mandatory subjects in all schools, among other policies.
The labor leader also wants young workers not to be discriminated for their lack of experience, their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression, and ethnic and religious backgrounds.
For PWDs, De Guzman envisions campuses to have the capacity to deal with mental health problems.
