The Municipality of Bani was recognized as the Regional Awardee for the Search of the Presidential Awards for Child-friendl;y Municipality in the year 2006 under the category of 1st to 3rd class municipality during the awarding ceremony held last February 15, 2008 at Gualberto's Complex, San Fernando City, La Union.

This town is the provincial nominee among all towns of Pangasinan belonging to 1st to 3rd class category together with the City of Urdaneta, also a nominee under Component City category which ranked 2nd Runner-up in that same event.

Believing firmly that every child is important, the townspeople are committed in the making of Bania truly child-friendly community. Such an undertaking was initiated by then MayorGabriel E. Navarro and is now supported cintinuously through the very dedicated leadership of present Municipal Mayor, the Honorable Marcelo E. Navarro, Jr.

The Municipal Council for the Welfare of Children (MCWC) of Bani is composed of representatives coming from the various sectors of the community and child-representatives, the stakeholders of the children;s future.

Bani as a child-friendly community has the following achievements worth note-taking:

1. Bani is the only Local Government Unit in Region 1 with a functional Community-based Child Protection Unit (CPU);

2. Bani has Municipal and Barangay Children's Congress planned and implemented by children;

3. This town was evaluated by the Provincial Inter-Agency Assessment Committee to be: (a) Most Child-Friendly Municipality in the Province of Pangasinan for CY 2006, (b) one of the two functional Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC) of the Province of Pangasinan for CY 2005, (c) the most functional LCPC of the Province of Pangasinan for CY 2004.

4. It has established Stimulation and Therapeutic Activity Center for Children with Disability.

5. Regarded as the best performing Rural Health Unit for TB Program and Treatment Partner NTO-DOTS for CY 2002;

6. The first town in the Philippines whose Municipal Health Centers were recognized as SENTRONG SIGLA winners in two consecutive years, 1999 and 2000, for providing quality health services;

7. This year 2008, a prestigious award is given to Bani - Regional Awardee for the Presidential Awards for the Most Child-Friendly Municipality for 2006 (1st to 3rd class Municipality).

The Regional Council for the Welfare of Children spearheaded the serach through its Regional Awards Committee who conducted the review of documents and field validations. The evaluators are representatives coming from different regional governmentagencies. Evaluation in Bani was conducted last October 2007 in different barangays namely Centro Toma, San Jose, Masidem and Poblacion. The evaluators were Ms. Shirlyn N. Delog representing RCWC Technical Staff, DSWD, Mrs. Anniely J. Ferre, DSWD, Ms. Hiyasmin Nieva, DSWD, Mrs. Sally Estefa, ESII representative from DepEd and Ms. Melita Castillo from DOH.

The creteria for evaluation included the following: Planning and Policy Formulation (15%), Resource Utilization (15%), Service Delivery (40%), Institution Building (10%), Child Participation (10%) and Community Participation (10%).

Bani's winning edge was her innovative programs and interventions in the promotion of the rights of children. Cited among these during the evaluation were the Community-Based Child Protection Unit (CPU), establishment of Barangay Civil Registration System, Supervised Neighborhood Play, the active participation of children in decicion-making and planning activities, and a functiopnal Municipal council for the Welfare of Children.

Now, the local government unit's challenge is to sustain the status of the Municipality of Bani as Child Friendl;y Community. (Marelina F. Galzote)