A TOTAL of 19 family court judges in Western Visayas gathered last week in Iloilo City to fasten adoption cases and provide homeless children with homes.
The region's Department of Social Welfare and Development office facilitated on November 5 a conference at the Days Hotel to plan for the best adoption practices and make adoption process shorter without sacrificing the law, according to DSWD regional director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre.
Macapobre made the statement during a Focus Group Discussion, “Adoption with Family Court Judges”, facilitated by the Adoption Resource and Referral Section and training staffs of DSWD.
Training specialist Josie Cambel said the activity goal is to articulate issues and challenges on adoption processes and requirements, gather good practices and recommendations, as well as to initiate collaboration with family court judges in the implementation of adoption laws and to address concerns among courts and the DSWD on the adoption process.
Macapobre added that the length of the present process of adoption takes about nine months to one year which is very lengthy and families protested the long process.
The discussions focused on the domestic adoption process which also presented concerns and challenges in relation to the court expedited by Rosalie Dagulo, OIC-Adoption, and SWATO of DSWD central office.
The activity also focused on the inter-country adoption program and its legal aspects facilitated by lawyer Bernadette Abejo, executive director of Inter-Country Adoption Board.