Why every Filipino child deserves a daycare down the street

Every morning, thousands of single mothers from Davao to Dagupan face a brutal dilemma: they must choose between relying on relatives or friends to watch their children—often at great personal and economic cost—or stepping out of the workforce entirely.

- ANNA MAE YU LAMENTILLO

Latest data from both government and NGOs reveals some 15 million single parents in the Philippines, nine out of 10 of whom are women.

This widespread care gap isn't merely a private struggle; it's a systemic failure that restrains the potential of families and drags down the national economy. My time at LSE Cities honed my perspective, teaching me that accessible, neighborhood-based childcare is a universal necessity. Working mothers all around the globe face the same barriers.

Consider a mother in Bacolod, rising before dawn to board an overcrowded jeepney, only to hand her toddler off to an aunt in another barangay. By the time she reaches her job—whether at a factory or market stall—she has already spent hours and precious pesos simply securing basic supervision.