ADOPTION is a personal decision for prospective parents. To be valid, one should follow the procedures set by our laws.
The Supreme Court discussed the legal implication of adoption in the case of Renato Lazatin vs. Judge Campos, G.R. No. L-43955-56, 30 July 1979, to wit:
“Adoption is a juridical act, a proceeding in rem which creates between two persons a relationship similar to that which results from legitimate paternity and filiation. Only an adoption made through the court, or in pursuance with the procedure laid down under Rule 99 of the Rules of Court is valid in this jurisdiction. It is not of natural law at all, but is wholly and entirely artificial. To establish the relation, the statutory requirements must be strictly carried out, otherwise, the adoption is an absolute nullity. The fact of adoption is never presumed, but must be affirmatively proved by the person claiming its existence. xxx”
This means that adoption must be through court processes. Otherwise, the adoption cannot be considered valid, insofar as the laws are concerned.
However, in 2022, Republic Act No. 11642, otherwise known as the Domestic Administrative Adoption Act, was signed into law. The purpose is to provide a more efficient process under the attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to be known as the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) with quasi-judicial powers to approve and grant all types of adoption.