ABOUT 300 children have already been processed for adoption in the region since the implementation of Republic Act 1642, otherwise known as the “Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act of 2022,” an official from the Regional Alternative Child Care-Davao Region (Racco-Davao Region) said.
Of the 300, 282 adoptive parents have availed of the domestic administrative adoption process, while 37 cases were recorded under SBRA NO. 11222, or the simulated birth record process, meaning the adoptive parents are not the child’s biological parents.
Despite this progress, Racco-Davao reveals that as of 2022 to the present, they have received 24 cases of abandoned children found in public places with unknown identity or no legal birth documents, with this year having three cases.
Eden G. Macalino, officer-in-charge of Racco-Davao Region, said that anybody can adopt, notwithstanding their civil status or sexual identity. She said that adoption is allowed as long as the individual meets the qualifications, such as age (must be 25 years and above), physical, financial, and psychological capabilities.
She added that those who have illnesses are also eligible to adopt, but the agency will have to assess whether they are physically capable of taking care of the children.
RA 11642 streamlines the adoption process in the country through transitioning it from judicial to an administrative framework. This law aims to make domestic adoption in the Philippines more accessible and affordable.
This law also established the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) as the central agency for handling adoption as well as alternative child care services. Cristine Joy S. Villanueva, Spamast Intern