Congress ratifies听bicameral听report听on easing听adoption听process听
THE BICAMERAL听committee report听on a bill听seeking to expedite听the country鈥檚 child听adoption听process听was ratified by听Congress late Tuesday.听听
Under the听final听draft of听the听proposed听Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, the听Inter Country Adoption Board听will be reorganized听into the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), which is envisioned to be a one-stop shop for alternative child care.听听
Senator Pilar Juliana 鈥淧ia鈥 S. Cayetano, who has an adopted son, said the bill puts in听鈥渢he structure that would allow us to create a National Adoption Center that would oversee all the adoption and provide separate funding and personnel that would handle adoption.鈥澨
The proposed measure also听provides for administrative adoption, thereby removing the judicial process that听has听made legal adoption lengthy and costly.听听听
“According to statistics, only 60% of adoption cases in the country are finalized within one year to three years. Some cases take up to four years or longer. Families end up spending hundreds of thousands of pesos in these lengthy proceedings,鈥澨齭aid听Senator Ana Theresia 鈥淩isa鈥 N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, who chaired the bicameral committee听meeting.听鈥斕鼳lyssa Nicole O. Tan听
