DSWD Pushes for Amendments to Solo Parents Welfare Act

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Officer-In-Charge Emmanuel Leyco calls for the urgent need to amend the Republic Act (RA) 8972 or the Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000.

The call was made during the Quezon City’s Solo Parent’s Day Celebration in Memorial Quezon City last Saturday, April 28, 2018.

Leyco emphasized the urgent need to amend RA 8972 to make it more responsive to the emerging needs of solo parents and their children.

He said that the government needs to help solo parents because they solely take care of their children.

“The national and local government units should implement programs and services which are responsive to the needs of solo parents, whose number is increasing at an alarming rate. Solo parents and their children should be provided with basic programs such as livelihood and employment, health and education,” Leyco added.

The amendments to RA 8972 are included in the priority legislative measures which the Department is advocating.

DSWD, as the lead agency in social protection, together with other national government agencies (NGAs), non-government organizations (NGOs) and the local government of Quezon City held an Information and Serbisyo Caravan at the Quezon Memorial Circle on April 28 as the Department’s way of showing support to the city’s Solo Parents’ Day celebration.

The local government of Quezon City passed City Ordinance No. SP-2354-S-2014 mandating the celebration of Solo Parents’ Week every last week of April to give due recognition to the city’s solo parent residents. So far, Quezon City is the only local government unit which has come up with an ordinance institutionalizing a special week/day for solo parents.

This year’s Solo Parents’ Day celebration features an array of free services, such as legal, wellness like haircut, massage, among others, for solo parent participants coming from the different barangays of Quezon City and nearby cities.  The event was organized by the QC LGU together with 4ks Task Force on Solo Association, Inc., the Federation of Solo Parents in Luzvimin, and partner government agencies and non-government organizations.

This year’s theme is “Sulong sa Bagong Mukha ng Solo”, which emphasizes the image of solo parents as strong, empowered, responsible and resilient.  (LFB/PIA-NCR with reports from DSWD)