Dumaguete City has again bagged the Presidential Award for Child-Friendly City in the component city category for the year 2009 at the annual regional research. This is the fourth consecutive year that Dumaguete was given this, Jacequelin Flores of the City Social Welfare and Development Office said.

As regional winner, the city will receive a Child-Friendly Seal and a cash prize of P50, 000. The Regional Sub-committee for the Welfare of Children will also endorse the city to the Council for the Welfare of Children who will facilitate the short-listing of entries for the national level search, Flores added.

Other winners are Cebu City for the Highly Ubranized City category; Tubigon, Bohol for the 1^st to 3^rd Class Municipality category. City Social Welfare and Development Officer, Marina Mendoza, said they are happy on winning again but are looking forward to the national award for the chartered city category.

Mayor Augustin Perdices said Dumaguete should be placed in the Hall of Fame at the DSWD Regional Office for winning the award for four years. The Local Council for the Welfare of Children is scheduled to meet on the possible project for the P50, 000 cash prize for the award. Among the best practices of Dumaguete City is the back to school program which is being offered for elementary and high school.

At present a total of 150 scholars have availed of the program. Every year, the city government allocated P150, 000 for allowances of the scholars. Dumaguete City is the only local government unit in Central Visayas Region that has implemented the back to school program. 

Other education scholoarship programs are the college education for students from poor families that cannot afford. There are 169 schoolars now studying at the Negros Oriental State University. Mendoza said majority of the scholars who finiahsed their college degree have landed jobs here or abroad. This year, the city allocated P2.5 Million for the college education program.