THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has directed all local government units (LGUs) to adopt and fully implement the revised Protocol for the Case Management of Child Victims of Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, and Discrimination (CANE+D), reinforcing local child protection systems and ensuring faster, coordinated, and child-sensitive responses to cases involving children.
The directive forms part of the government’s intensified efforts to safeguard Filipino children in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for a whole-of-government approach to protecting children’s rights and welfare.
Under DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2026-036, LGUs are directed to institutionalize updated child protection policies and mechanisms, ensure the availability and delivery of appropriate CANE+D services and interventions, and establish coordinated referral and case management systems within their respective jurisdictions.
The Department said the revised protocol provides LGUs with a comprehensive framework for managing CANE+D cases while strengthening coordination among social workers, law enforcement agencies, health professionals, educators, prosecutors, and other frontline service providers.
Developed by the Committee on the Special Protection of Children (CSPC), the revised protocol updates the 2013 guidelines to reflect developments in child protection laws, address emerging issues affecting children, and align local case management practices with current international standards and evidence-based approaches.
According to the DILG, the updated framework also addresses operational gaps identified over the past decade by strengthening mechanisms for prevention, reporting, rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, reintegration, and monitoring of child victims.
To ensure effective implementation, the Department directed LGUs to further strengthen the capacities of their Child Protection Committees, Local Councils for the Protection of Children (LCPCs), Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDOs), and other implementing offices through regular training, stronger inter-agency coordination, and sustained resource support.
The DILG also encouraged LGUs to strengthen partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), faith-based groups, and other stakeholders to expand community-based child protection programs and improve service delivery. The Department reaffirmed that stronger local child protection systems are essential to building safer, more resilient, and child-friendly communities where every Filipino child is protected from violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, and discrimination.
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