In the formal opening of the Adoption Forum held last week at the Leyte Park Resort Hotel in Tacloban City, DSWD Field Office Eight Director Leticia Diokno appealed to lawyers, specially, to primarily protect the concern of children rather than that of the adoptive family.

Almost fifty participants, composed of national and local social workers and legal counsels of adoption cases of the various Regional Trail Courts in the region, grouped together in this DSWD – led forum to clarify and resolve issues on the socio – legal process of adoption. Lawyers specifically needed to be aware and be oriented on Republic Act 9523, or “An Act Requiring Certification of the DSWD to Declare a Child Legally available for Adoption.”

The DSWD Field Office Eight Director pointed out that the enactment of said law in year 2009 caused a dramatic shift in the process of declaring a child legally available for adoption – from judicial to administrative procedure. “To face the greater challenge of this dramatic shift, we have to continuously strengthen and capacitate our Adoption Resource and Referral Unit of the region,” she said in her speech.

“We continuously advocate to our stakeholders, local social welfare and development officers, non-government organizations, centers and institutions on the correct processes and procedures of declaring a child available for adoption, “ Diokno further stated.

She then emphasized the need for her agency to regularly hold a forum, not only to settle issues emanating from adoption cases but to improve the timeliness of each step required to shorten the time involved in the process, to the end of giving a child a family of his/her own in a short time, without sacrificing the processes and procedures of the law.

Diokno, on the other hand, warned participants when she said – “ a phenomenon on child trafficking using adoption as a means is now evolving, getting into the picture. She expressed hope that there would be no similar institution operating in the region as the much – publicized Jala-Jala case in Rizal which has illustrated a sophisticated child laundering operation.

“We need your vigilance,” she told them.