Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 10) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development is appealing to the public not to work with online groups that allegedly facilitate adoptions, saying these are illegal and fall under child trafficking.
“Nag-aalok sila…na ifacilitate ng online adoptions na hindi na kinakailangang dumaan sa proseso na isinasagawa ng DSWD and ng…court,” DSWD Spokesperson Irene Dumlao told CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
[Translation: They offer to facilitate online adoptions without having to go through the process by the DSWD and the court.]
Dumalo said child trafficking is punishable under Republic Act No. 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
However, because of the passage of Republic Act 11222 which was enacted in 2018, persons who participated in such act are exempted from criminal, civil, and administrative liability “provided a petition for adoption with a rectification of the simulated birth record is filed within 10 years from the effectivity of the Act.”
“Simulation of birth record refers to the tampering of the civil registry to make it appear in the record of birth that a child was born to a person who is not such child’s biological mother, causing the loss of the true identity and status of such child,” the DSWD said.
Illegal adoptions can also endanger the life of adopted children, as well as the biological and adoptive parents, Dumlao added.
Dumlao said adoption is a socio-legal process where the DSWD files the necessary petitions before the adoption is filed in court. This is done so parents can provide for the best interest of the child. In some cases, Dumlao said adoptions are finalized within a year.
The most important factor, Dumalo added, is that prospective adoptive parents must have the capacity “to act and assume all the rights and responsibilities incident to the exercise of parental authority.”
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