Social welfare dept to lead Adoption Consciousness Celebration

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with national government agencies and the Association of Child Caring Agencies of the Philippines, will lead this year’s Adoption Consciousness Celebration (ACC) on February 11-19.(Photo: Department of Social Welfare and Development/ Facebook)

MANILA—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with national government agencies and the Association of Child Caring Agencies of the Philippines, will lead this year’s Adoption Consciousness Celebration (ACC) on February 11-19.

With the theme, “Pagmamahal Palaganapin, Legal na Pag-aampon Ating Gawin!” (Spread Unconditional Love through Legal Adoption), the celebration will promote legal adoption as a means of providing compassion and unconditional love to abandoned, neglected and surrendered children, the department said in a news release issued Thursday.

The event will also encourage families to undergo legal adoption to protect the welfare of adopted children and ensure that their rights are the same as those of biological children.

“One of the important thrusts of our department is to ensure that all children, whether adopted or legitimate, have the right to have a family that will provide them the protection, care and love that they need. Hence, we are advocating for the strengthening of the legal process of adoption to ensure that the rights of adopted children are protected and that they are justly recognized in our society,” Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said.

For the event’s official launch, adoptive families from DSWD-accredited child placement agencies and the department’s offices in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon region (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces) will join the “Walk for Legal Adoption” parade to be held at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on February 11.

This will be followed by a press conference with legal adoption experts, advocates, and adoptive families who will discuss the significance of legal adoption in safeguarding the interests of adopted children.

The DSWD will also open Adoption Help Desks with partner government agencies and selected malls.