Some twenty Provincial/City/Municipal Social Welfare and Officers of Southern Leyte province Wednesday,  February 28, 2018, were oriented on the amendments of the Adoption law or Republic Act 8552 of 2012, as well as re-oriented on important policies, at the Maasin City College in Maasin City.

The one-day forum is part of the information caravan being initiated by the DSWD Field Office VIII, as the nation celebrated the Adoption Consciousness Week last week, but is still being pursued till the end of March of this year in the region.

Adoption Focal Person, Josamae Duazo Merencillo, presented that one of the developments is that the
law no longer allows adoptive parents to revoke or cancel the adoption. She said that if the adopted child becomes wayward morally or ungrateful, the only legal remedy is to disinherit the child.
The social worker further emphasized that under the law, it is the adopted child who can ask for the revocation of the adoption, under reasonable circumstances.

Another thing emphasized is that the illegitimate child of a mother should be adopted to become legitimate. An adopted child, she said, becomes a legitimate one and enjoys the same rights and privileges with the legitimate children, while an illegitimate child cannot, even if he or she is a natural child.

She also pointed out that if the unwed mother eventually marries the biological father of the child, the couple will no longer apply for adoption of the child, but only legitimization of the child in court. However, if the mother marries another man, the couple should jointly file for adoption of the child. #DSWDParaSaNakakarami #DSWDMayMalasakit