‘Love makes a family’: RACCO-7 urgently seeks more foster parents
CEBU CITY, Philippines — More than 1,000 children remain under the care of child-caring facilities and government institutions in Central Visayas, prompting the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO)-7 to intensify its call for more families to become licensed foster parents.
The appeal comes as the region joins the nationwide observance of Adoption and Alternative Child Care (AACC) Week 2026, which carries the theme, “Love Makes a Family.”
During a Kapihan sa PIA forum on Wednesday, June 3, RACCO-7 Officer-in-Charge Concepcion Solera said the campaign aims to promote legal adoption and alternative child care programs while raising awareness that families can be built through love and commitment, not just biological ties.
“We believe that love makes a family. Adoption and foster care provide children with the opportunity to grow up in a loving family environment,” Solera said.
More foster parents needed
Despite gains in the region’s child care programs, Solera admitted that the number of foster parents remains insufficient to meet the needs of children requiring family-based care.
Central Visayas currently has 55 licensed foster parents — 48 in Cebu, one in Bohol, and six in Negros Oriental.
At present, 73 children are under foster care in the region, including 36 neglected children and 13 abandoned children.
“It’s still not enough,” Solera said, noting that many children continue to stay in residential facilities when a family setting would be more beneficial to their development.
She added that foster care and adoption services have already reached island communities such as Bantayan and Camotes, where local cases are now being handled.
Adoption and foster care
Social Welfare Officer III Lawrence Matthew Villaluz explained that adoption and foster care serve different purposes.
Adoption creates a permanent legal relationship between a child and an adoptive family, while foster care is designed as a temporary arrangement for children who need immediate care and protection.
Children may be placed under foster care after experiencing abandonment, neglect, abuse, or the loss of their parents.
READ: Step-by-step guide: How to adopt a child in the Philippines?
Villaluz cited cases of poverty-driven neglect as one situation where foster care can help.
In such cases, children may be temporarily placed with foster families while government agencies work with biological parents to improve their economic situation and caregiving capacity.
“The goal is still family reunification whenever possible,” he said.
He also clarified that not all children placed under government custody or foster care are available for adoption.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that once a child is under the care of government agencies, the child will automatically be adopted. That’s not true,” Villaluz said.
Solera echoed the clarification, saying adoption is considered as the last resort after efforts to reunite children with their biological families have been exhausted.
Adoption numbers continue to grow
RACCO-7 reported that 211 children in Central Visayas have been legally adopted from 2022 to 2026.
Of the total, 51 children were adopted through regular adoption while 156 were adopted by relatives.
The region records an average of five adoptions monthly, equivalent to around 60 adoptions annually.
The average processing time for regular adoption applicants is now about 11 months under Republic Act No. 11642, or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, which transferred adoption proceedings from the courts to an administrative process.
Villaluz said adoption applicants have also become more diverse in recent years.
While married couples traditionally comprised most applicants, the agency is now seeing more single-parent applicants, LGBTQIA+ community members, and families who already have biological children but still choose to adopt.
“Families today are becoming more open to adoption,” he said.
Monitoring illegal adoption
Meanwhile, RACCO-7 said it continues to monitor cases involving illegal child placement and online baby-selling schemes.
Solera said the region recently handled a case involving a child allegedly sold by the biological mother to another couple. The child was rescued and placed under proper care while authorities looked into the case.
READ: CHR urges crackdown on alarming rise in online ‘child selling’
She emphasized that children cannot be legally adopted outside established procedures.
The National Authority for Child Care (NACC) regularly coordinates with the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, and Meta Philippines to monitor reports of online baby-selling and illegal adoption activities.
June activities
As part of the month-long observance, RACCO-7 will hold a National Press Conference on June 9 and the “BISIG-Kleta” Bike Ride and Fun Run in Naga City on June 13.
A gathering dubbed “Tapok sa Gugma Isip Pamilya” will also be held on June 20 for adoptive families.
Information help desks will likewise be set up at SM Consolacion, SM JMall, SM City Cebu, and SM Seaside on June 20-21 and June 27-28 to assist the public with inquiries on adoption, foster care, and other alternative child care programs.
RACCO-7 encouraged interested individuals and families to explore legal adoption and foster care, stressing that every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe and loving home.
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