Domestic adoption bill en route to Senate after House approval

MANILA - The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on final reading House Bill 8998 or the proposed "Domestic Adoption Act", without rejection from any lawmaker.

The bill will be sent to the Senate for approval.

According to the congressional fact sheet, the proposed measure seeks to streamline and hasten the domestic adoption process, to establish the policies and rules on domestic administrative adoption, and eliminate the judicial phase of adoption.

It provides for pre-adoption services by the local government units and child-caring agencies to prevent the child’s separation from the biological parents.

It prescribes rules on who may adopt, who may be adopted and whose consent is necessary to the adoption.

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The measure allows the administrative process of adoption through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Regional Office.

It would also establish the effects of the adoption, prescribes the rules on the rescission of adoption, and provides penalties for violations of the provisions of proposed law.

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