RACCO-7 explains adoption process

CEBU, Philippines — Judicial petitions for domestic adoption pending in court upon the effectivity of the newly-enacted Republic Act 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Child Care Act may be withdrawn and filed before the National Authority for Child Care (NACC).

Officials of the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO-7) clarified this yesterday.

Under the new law, the adoptive parents are also mandated to disclose to the child that she or he is adopted before reaching the age of 13.   The new law, which was enacted on January 6, 2022, is expected to facilitate and expedite some adoption processes.

Previously, it takes seven years after a court can issue an order for a child to be legally adopted but under the new law, there is no need to file an adoption proceeding in court but only to NACC and it would only take three months to seven months for an order to be issued allowing legal adoption of a child.

The proceeding is free except for a minimal administrative fee of less than P1,000 and the expenses required in compliance with the submission of documents like proof that the adoptor or couple adopting a child must be 16 years old older than the adoptee and must be financially capable to raise a child.

RA 11642, which reorganized the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB) into NACC, aims to simplify domestic administrative adoption proceedings and lessen the cost by streamlining services for alternative child care.

The salient provisions of the new law were discussed by RACCO-7 officials to the Cebu media during a press conference yesterday. — (FREEMAN)