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Senator Lito Lapid. File photo / screenshot of the Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Lito Lapid introduced a bill seeking a moratorium for children to be removed from foster care during the state of public health emergency that was declared due to Covid-19, and for the six months after. .
Lapid said his Senate Bill No. 2050 would amend a provision in Republic Law No. 10165 or the Foster Care Act of 2012 to include the proposed moratorium.
“When these children age outside of foster care arrangements, they most likely do not have families, relatives, and even close friends who can temporarily house them and provide basic needs. They may end up returning to crowded institutional care centers or orphanages, or worse, homeless and living on the streets, ”he said.
According to the bill, children who were in foster care during the beginning of the state of public health emergency declared under Presidential Proclamation No. 922 series of 2020, but who have exceeded the age before the validity of the proposed measure, they will have the right to return to the foster home. attention, if requested, according to the senator.
He said the bill also provides that during the moratorium period, both foster children and foster parents will continue to receive assistance and incentives under Section 21 or the Foster Children’s Health Insurance and Subsidy and the Section 22 or Foster Supportive Care Services. Law of attention.
Lapid added that the Covid-19 pandemic has been reported to have a “potentially far-reaching and long-term negative impact” on children in the form of increasing incidents of domestic violence, child labor, sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy, limited or no. . education and other forms of abuse or violation of their rights.
“This negative impact is even more pronounced in vulnerable sectors of this age group such as abandoned, homeless, orphaned, rescued or surrendered children,” said the senator.
He noted that these children are often not equipped with sufficient social networks and support systems that they can depend on or that are capable of helping them during the pandemic.
JPV
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