NINE children in Central Visayas are currently available for adoption, according to the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (Racco), which has called on prospective parents to follow legal procedures rather than resort to informal or “sagop-sagop” arrangements.
Racco’s advocacy, Proud Ampon (Anak, Magulang, Pamilya, Ordinaryo Pero Natatangi), seeks to change public perception of adoption.
“We are really advocating for positive adoption because when we say ‘ampon,’ it often carries a negative connotation—that’s why we say Proud Ampon,” said Concepcion Solera, officer-in-charge of Racco.
Since 2022, when the current system for domestic administrative adoption was implemented, 125 children in Central Visayas have been legally adopted through Racco. Another 16 were adopted under the Simulated Birth Rectification Act, totaling 141 legal adoptions as of June 30, 2025.
The adoption process, governed by Republic Act 11642, takes about six to eight months—up to 12 months if documents are complete.
Adoption processing by Racco is free of charge for now, with minimal costs for medical and psychological assessments.
RA 11642, which took effect on January 28, 2022, removed the need for court proceedings and made the process purely administrative under the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), a quasi-judicial agency attached to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The law repealed RA 8552 and RA 9523 and centralized all adoption functions under the NACC, streamlining procedures and focusing on child welfare.
Adoption petitions
Racco-Central Visayas has received 212 adoption petitions, 148 of which were endorsed to the NACC. Of these, 125 were granted adoption orders, and 111 have been finalized.
Solera said that by law, adopted children cannot be returned if the adoptive parents no longer want responsibility of the child, but adopted individuals who suffer abuse may file for rescission.
To be eligible for adoption, a child must have a Certificate Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA). In the region, 170 children have received this certification—112 were voluntarily surrendered, 29 were foundlings, and 29 were classified as abandoned.
As of June 2025, 68 children in the region are under foster care—58 in subsidized homes and 10 in voluntary care. Nine children were newly placed this year, and 61 foster parents are registered, with six available for matching.
These updates were shared during “Pakighimamat,” a media advocacy event held on July 15 at the DN Distribution Center in Mandaue City. / Allyssa Doncillo, HNU Intern and Ashley Judd F. Alon, UV Intern