“NO Filipino child should be denied the love and support of a family.”

Senator Grace Poe said this as she welcomed the finalization of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the “Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act or Republic Act” or RA 11642.

“This is a milestone in our shared aspiration to ensure the best interest and future of our children,” said Poe, co-author and co-sponsor of the landmark law on child care.

“By simplifying the process of adoption while according to utmost protection for the child, we strengthen the ties that bind deserving parents and children longing for a home,” Poe explained.

Effective 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation or the Official Gazette, the IRR is expected to bolster collaborative efforts for the highest welfare of Filipino children in pursuit of the law.

RA 11642 provides more straightforward and inexpensive domestic administrative adoption proceedings and streamlines services for alternative child care.

“By removing the judicial phase, we have shortened the procedure, making it less tedious and less costly. By creating an adequately staffed one-stop-shop on alternative child care, all applications will be handled more efficiently and effectively,” Poe added.

The senator also acknowledged the efforts of fellow co-authors and co-sponsors particularly Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Pia Cayetano and Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez; the executive department led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions led by the University of the Philippines Law Center, which crafted the IRR.

At the same time, Poe urged the National Authority for Child Care and concerned agencies to guarantee the best interest of Filipino children.

“Adopting a child may not change the world, but it will certainly change the world for that child,” Poe reiterated.

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