Photo 2: Participants composed of barangay officials, social workers and program implementers from the local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR), and child-caring agencies participate in the discussion.
To strengthen inter-agency coordination on the process of legal adoption in the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) invited staff members of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), selected heads of barangays and City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, and officers of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) to participate in the Forum on Legal Adoption held on February 17 at the DILG-NAPOLCOM Center.
The forum is one of the major activities of the 2017 Adoption Consciousness Celebration (ACC) which banners the theme: “Pagmamahal Palaganapin, Legal na Pag-aampon Ating Gawin! (Spread Unconditional Love through Legal Adoption).”
About a hundred participants from local government units (LGUs) and barangays in Metro Manila took part in the legal adoption forum which sought to educate the participants on the legal process of adoption and foster care, and to provide program orientation on alternative family care, focusing on the laws, policies and guidelines issued by the DSWD.
At the start of the program, DILG-National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) Director Leocadio Trovela explained the importance of the DILG and local government units (LGUs) as custodians of children’s rights.
“The role of the DILG in this advocacy is essential. Our intention is to increase adoption advocates and remind barangay officials, through the DILG, to become custodians of children’s rights because of their direct link to communities,” said Dir. Trovela.
For her presentation, DSWD-Protective Services Bureau (PSB) OIC-Assistant Bureau Director Rosalie Dagulo emphasized the salient points of the Republic Act (RA) 9523 or “An Act Requiring Certification of the DSWD to Declare a Child Legally Available for Adoption” and the Administrative Order (AO) No. 12 (Guidelines on the Issuance of DSWD Certification Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption).
Likewise, OIC-Division Chief Luzviminda Alcabaza of the DSWD-PSB Child Protection and Placement Division discussed the RA 8552 or the “Domestic Adoption Act” and the Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 7 (Amended Omnibus Guidelines on Domestic Adoption Process).
Aside from domestic adoption, another topic discussed in the forum was the inter-country adoption process which was presented by Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) Executive Director Atty. Bernadette Abejo who highlighted the need for stronger inter-agency coordination in managing cases, specifically in both domestic and inter-country adoption.
Lastly, another significant presentation that was tackled was the RA 10165 or the “Foster Care Act of 2012” which was presented by NORFIL Foundation Inc. Executive Director Ma. Teresa Nuqui.
Stronger support for legal adoption and foster care
Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo encouraged families to devote some of their time and devote some of their resources to abandoned, neglected and surrendered children by becoming foster or adoptive parents.
“We see daily that there are so many children who are ready for foster care and adoption, but there are not enough prospective foster and adoptive families so we want to make the process more accessible to the public. This is why the DSWD and adjunct agencies are intensifying adoption advocacy campaigns and improving policies and guidelines,” she said.
Aside from public participation, the Secretary also emphasized the need for stronger inter-agency coordination to promote foster care and legal adoption.
“We are monitoring cases of parents who ask people to whom they owe large debts to adopt their children so that they can be cleared from their debts. This is a clear form of child trafficking and we want to end this by establishing stronger links with national government agencies, local government units (LGUs) and the public so that we can all be on the look-out against it,” said the Secretary.
“It is important that we uphold children’s rights in the process of adoption and to prevent cases wherein children are being trafficked through birth simulation,” she affirmed.
Over the next few months, the DSWD is expected to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with other national government agencies to renew their commitment to intensify the advocacy on legal adoption through its promotion in schools, medical and health facilities, courts, and local governments down to the barangay level. #
