Solo parent ordinance not yet implemented

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has requested the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) and the Women and Family Affairs Commission to submit the required Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on City Ordinance No. 2556 on or before April 21, 2022.

This, for the council to provide its comments, recommendations, and/or approval on the IRR.

Councilors Eugenio Gabuya, Jr. and Jessica Resch jointly sponsored a resolution regarding the matter which was approved by the council Wednesday.

Authored by Councilors Alvin Dizon, Eduardo Rama, Jr., and Lea Japson, Ordinance No. 2556 is known as “An Ordinance Providing Discounts and Other Incentives to Solo Parents”.

The council passed the ordinance on March 4, 2020 which grants a single parent 10 percent discount on goods and services.

To avail of the discount, a single or solo parent should present his/her identification card issued by the DSWS.

The ordinance covers all commercial establishments within the city.

DSWS is tasked to conduct a city-wide registration of all solo parents and their children to establish a database.

The late mayor Edgardo Labella signed the approved ordinance on March 24, 2020.

“The qualified solo parents had been expecting the said ordinance to be implemented on the fifteenth day following its publication since the ordinance itself does not provide for its effectivity date,” said Gabuya.

Gabuya said per available records at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the ordinance is not yet published.

With this, the council also requested the SP Records to comply with the publication requirement for Ordinance No. 2556.

Republic Act No. 8972 provides social development and welfare services, such as livelihood, self-employment and skills development, employment-related benefits, educational, health, and housing services for solo parents and their families.

It mandates “a comprehensive program of services” for solo parents and their children.

Solo parents are those who are left alone with the responsibility of rearing their children. — GMR (FREEMAN)