Manila: The executive director of the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has called on the public to champion legal adoption to safeguard the best interest of neglected, abandoned, orphaned, and surrendered children.
According to Philippines News Agency, Undersecretary Maria Gabriela Concepcion emphasized the importance of following the legal adoption process during a forum at the DSWD Central Office. She highlighted that some individuals bypass this process by falsifying birth certificates to appear as birth parents, which offers no genuine protection for the child. Concepcion underscored the necessity of adopting children legally to ensure their rights and welfare.
She explained that the simulation of birth or tampering with birth registry documents is a criminal act that often occurs in hospitals or lying-in clinics. Under Republic Act 8552, known as the 'Domestic Adoption Act,' such actions are criminal offenses, punishable by up to 12 years imprisonment and/or a fine not exceeding PHP50,000.
Concepcion urged those who genuinely care for a child to adhere to the correct legal procedures to grant them all the rights of a legitimate child. She noted that legally adopted children become legitimate, carrying the adoptive family's surname and being recognized as heirs.
To further promote legal adoption, Concepcion mentioned that amnesty is available for individuals who committed birth simulation on or before March 28, 2019. This amnesty is provided under Republic Act 11222, or the Simulated Birth Rectification Act of 2019. The law allows individuals who simulated a birth for a child's best interest to come forward without fear of prosecution, offering a legal process to correct birth records and recognize the parent-child relationship formally.
Individuals involved in simulated birth cases can file a Petition for Administrative Adoption with Application for Rectification of Simulated Birth Record with their Local Social Welfare and Development Offices until March 29, 2029.
