POVERTY remains to be the top reason why many parents “surrender” their children, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao Region.(Medel V. Hernani/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY – Poverty remains to be the top reason why many parents “surrender” their children, an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said.
In a press conference on Monday, February 15, Sheryl Anne Dumalogdog, focal person for adoption at DSWD Davao Region, said they have recorded 74 active cases of adoptive families and children from different agencies and non-government agencies.
“For those voluntarily surrendered, the majority of the reasons of the parents that they are surrendering the children to the DSWD is because of poverty,” she said.
However, Dumalogdog added that they still offer alternatives to families to keep their children.
“We are either referring them to other programs of the department or programs of our social city welfare,” she said.
Fifty percent of families in the Philippines consider themselves as poor, according to a Social Weather Station survey for self-rated poverty. Mindanao posted the highest number of respondents who consider themselves as poor at 63 percent. Visayas had 66 percent, Luzon at 43 percent, and the National Capital Region at 33 percent.
Dumalogdog also said they are encouraging the public to legally adopt children during their launching of the Adoption Consciousness Week on Monday.
Dumalogdog said they were able to serve 36 children who were declared as those legally available for adoption pursuant to Republic Act 9523.
“Out of the 36, 32 of these were locally adopted, while four were placed for inter-country adoption. We have children who were placed with USA, Europe, and other countries,” said Dumalogdog.
Mary Dorothy Abrina, an adoptive parent of a young boy, encouraged people to “welcome” a child.
“I would really encourage everyone to adopt, it is really a blessing. Though it is a calling to adopt, it’s no joke. But as you open your heart to adopt a child it is really a door for blessing to come to you,” she said.
Adoption, according to DSWD, is defined as a “socio-legal process of providing a permanent family to a child whose parents have voluntarily or involuntarily relinquished parental authority over the child.”
In the Philippines, adoption has three types: agency adoptions, family or relative adoptions, and private or independent adoptions.
One of the challenges in adopting a child is the corresponding fees to make the adoption legal, Dumalogdog said.
“DSWD is not asking for any fee, but they are required to hire a private lawyer. So it would be shouldered by the adoptive applicants, the fee for the lawyer, the court fees or their filing fees, and other document that they have to comply. But there are those who back-out because of the fees,” Dumalugdog said.
DSWD will hold a forum at the Grand Men Seng Hotel on Friday, February 19, to discuss and promote legal adoption. (With a report from Aimee Gito/davatoday.com)
