THE City Government of Isabela in Basilan province signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, with the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), symbolizing collective action to promote child welfare.
The partnership will strengthen the implementation of administrative adoption, foster care, and other forms of alternative child care for abandoned, neglected, orphaned, surrendered, abused, or exploited children in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
“This MOA marks more than just a ceremonial exchange of signatures but represents a shared commitment to protect, nurture, and secure the future of the children in need of permanent and loving families,” NACC Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada said in a statement.
“It also signifies our united vision to strengthen adoption and foster care to ensure that no child is left behind. Because we all commit to making all means necessary, that when a child loses parental authority, the option of adoption or foster care is readily made available for the child, and that a family and a community are prepared to provide love and care,” Estrada added.
The NACC-local government unit (LGU) partnership for administrative adoption and alternative child care is a strategy to strengthen the programs, with LGUs being the front-liners of public services.
“This partnership symbolizes our collective action and united vision in promoting the welfare and best interests of every child,” said Dr. Jaylyn Sahipa, in-charhe of the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO)-Zamboanga Peninsula.
“With the presence and participation of Isabela City, we reinforce our shared commitment to identify, nurture and support the development of more prospective adoptive and foster parents here in Isabela City—parents and families who can provide the love, protection, stability, and a nurturing family environment they truly deserve,” she added.
Under the partnership, the Isabela City through its Local Social Welfare Development Offices (LSWDOs), will develop a pool of licensed and trained foster parents, facilitate the conduct of Parenting Capability Assessment Reports, and assist in the preparation and filing of Petitions for Adoption, as well as Certification Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA).
The NACC, through RACCO-Zamboanga Peninsula, will provide technical assistance, capacity-building, and technical oversight on the processing of such Petitions within the prescribed timeline.
The trainings will also focus on Trust-Based, Relational Intervention (TBRI) that responds to the complex needs of vulnerable children who have suffered neglect, abuse, or early-age trauma.
TBRI further provides children with a safe, nurturing environment where emotional healing can take place. (SunStar Zamboanga)