Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman warned women who are selling their babies for a profit. She instead encouraged these women to resort to proper legal adoption  process.

Secretary Soliman said that there are existing cases of poor pregnant women who are unable to raise their babies and would offer them to childless couples to illegally adopt  in exchange for  a certain amount .

“We should be alarmed  by reports of babies being sold. This is also a form of birth simulation which evades the legal adoption process thereby violating RA 8552, An Act Establishing the Rules and Policies on the Domestic Adoption of Filipino Children” Secretary Soliman said.

According to Secretary Soliman, any person who tampers the birth registration of a child  or any physician, nurse, or health personnel who will collaborate in such an illegal act shall be guilty of birth simulation.  Birth simulation is the tampering of the civil registry making it appear in the birth records that a certain child was born to a person who is not his or her biological mother causing the child to lose his or her true identity and status. It is punishable by prision mayor in its medium period and a fine not exceeding fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00).

Secretary Soliman appealed to mothers who are unable to raise their babies to surrender them to the DSWD where they can be placed out for temporary placement through foster care or permanent placement through legal adoption. ###