MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has emphasized the need to incorporate stringent rules in order to protect foster children from abuse or negligence.
Santiago acknowledged the importance of foster care in the obligation of the government to find a home for every child, be it with his real family, through adoption or foster care.
However, she said the welfare of the children must be ensured when finding a temporary home for them.
The Senate is currently engaged in plenary debates over Senate Bill 2486 or the proposed Foster Care Act, which seeks to promote and institutionalize foster care as a preferred way of caring for children who were abandoned intentionally or unintentionally.
Santiago noted that the definition of family in the bill must take into account what has already been written in the Family Code.
“In any law that concerns the family, the definition of family in the Family Code should always be followed. Hence, pursuant to the Code, family only refers to the parents, ascendants, and brothers and sisters, whether of full or half-blood, of the child,” she said.
“Any person not falling within this classification should get a license to foster the child.”
Before a child is placed in a foster home, Santiago said the government should ensure that the prospective foster parent is fit to take care of a child.
“It is not enough that a foster parent should be of legal age and at least 16 years older than the child to be placed in foster care. The parent should be more mature than the child and can credibly carry out the responsibilities of a parent and demand obedience of the child,” she said.
She said the proposed law should have a full section on the rights and duties of foster parents.
One of the provisions that Santiago said should be present in the law is the prohibition on the use of corporal punishment to discipline foster children.
“We should make sure that foster parents are able to provide the child under their care the love, understanding, and security as if they are of their own flesh and blood,” she said.
The bill provides for a monthly subsidy given by the government to a foster parent to cover the foster child’s basic needs.
Santiago proposed a limit on the number of children a foster parent may take in so that money would not be the motivation for participation in the program.
“This limitation ensures that the principal motivation for an individual to become a foster parent is not to earn a living but to give a home to a child. Further, given that parents, including foster parents, have a myriad of responsibilities, they ought not to be distracted by too many obligations,” the lawmaker said.