DSWD 7 Celebrates Adoption Consciousness Month

“There is nothing wrong of being an adopted child” said Emma Patalinghug, Protective Services Unit Head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region VII, during the Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency (PIA) – Cebu forum, in celebration of the Adoption Consciousness Month held at the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated (RAFI) Plenary hall, Cebu City.

The Adoption Consciousness Month is celebrated every first Saturday of February. This year’s celebration carries the theme “Legal na Ampon ako, anak na Totoo (A Child finds worth in Legal Adoption)”. The advocacy aims to intensify information dissemination about the legal processes of adopting a child and to raise the number of applicants and couples who are willing to adopt.

As of December 2015 there were already eight prospective parents or applicants that were matched with their adoptees.

To adopt a child, applicants must attend a pre-adoption counseling seminar every last Thursday of the month and must undergo the matching conference, wherein the applicants can discuss their preference of the prospective adoptee, such as age and sex. For the past three years there were already fifty applicants that were successfully matched with his/her adoptee.

According to Concepcion Solera, Social Welfare Officer of DSWD 7, the number of willing applicants is increasing over the years.

In order for a person to adopt, he/she must be of legal age, at least sixteen years older than the adoptee, has the capacity to act and assume all the rights and duties incident to the exercise of parental authority, is of good moral character, is in position to support, educate and take care of the adoptee, and has undergone the pre-adoption services.

To increase awareness on adoption, the DSWD 7 has prepared the following activities; Motorcade on February 15 at 1:30 pm, Mural Painting Contest on February 19 at 9:00 am at the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC), Labangon, Cebu City and setting up of adoption help desks at SM City Cebu and SM Consolacion from February 20 to 21.

These activities will be done in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

Meanwhile, Patalinghug said that adoption “is a responsibility of each one of us to give the adoptee a family”. Patalinghug also encouraged radio stations to play the song titled I Love you anak.