ZAMBOANGA CITY (PIA) – The Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO)-9 is working to provide a brighter future for vulnerable children in the Zamboanga Peninsula by promoting public understanding of alternative childcare options and guiding individuals through the legal adoption process.
During the recent Kapihan na Zamboanga on November 26, RACCO-9 Officer-in-Charge Jaylin Dela Cruz Sahipa highlighted Republic Act 11642, also known as the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act. This Philippine law aims to streamline adoption and establish the National Authority for Child Care (NACC).
RACCO, established as a counterpart of NACC in all regions, facilitates petitions for Certificates Declaring a Child is Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA), inter-country adoptions, foster care, and other forms of alternative child care.
OIC Sahipa added that RACCO-9 offers social work counseling, pre-adoption services, and Alternative Child Care Forums. The agency also builds linkages and partnerships with childcare agencies and academic institutions.
As of 2024, around 23 minor individuals have been endorsed for CDCLAA petitions to the NACC. These include voluntarily surrendered, foundling, and abandoned children. Meanwhile, 20 minors are endorsed for relative, regular, stepparent, and adult adoption.
“We provide fairness to neglected, surrendered, orphaned, abused, and exploited children by providing them a safe space filled with love and care alongside a permanent home,” she said.
OIC Sahipa encourages prospective adoptive parents to undergo the legal adoption process and to ease the disclosure of their true parent-child relationship, which is one of the challenges the agency faces.
“The disclosure of their true relationship with the child does not require them to inform the child immediately. Parents can look for ways to introduce their existing parent-child relationship to the child and connect it to adoption. We also orient prospects regarding this during our forums,” she shared.
The agency ensures that prospective adoptive or foster families are fully equipped to provide the necessary care and support for the children. Eligible applicants must attend pre-adoption forums, and social workers conduct thorough interviews and home visitations to collect all essential information. Personal appearances for interviews with the Regional Child Placement Committee are also required to discuss the parents’ intent or motivation to adopt a child.
OIC Sahipa encourages eligible parents to open their homes and hearts to children who need them and looks forward to more opportunities to place children in loving homes.
“No child deserves to be neglected; that is why the advocacy of RACCO-9 is always: Every Child Matters,” she said. (EDT/JFT/PIA9-Zamboanga)
