Naga City, Camarines Sur – More than 500 leaders and officers of various solo parent associations (SPAs) from the National Capital Region, Regions I, III, IV-CALABARZON, IV-MIMAROPA, V and VII gathered here to push for the amendments to Republic Act 8972 or the Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000, during the recent First National Convention of Solo Parents .

The two-day convention tackled the different issues and concerns affecting solo parents and their children which include economic, emotional and psychosocial difficulties.

In her message, Department of Social Welfare and Development -Policy Development and Planning Bureau (DSWD-PDPB) Director Gemma B. Gabuya representing Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, as the Chairperson of the Special Review Committee (SRC) on the law, expressed the Department’s support towards the full implementation of the law and its amendments.

“It is hard enough to raise children, but doing it on your own makes it doubly difficult,” Dir. Gabuya stated.

“Solo parents are considered a vulnerable sector since they shoulder the challenges of parenthood by themselves, hence, they must be given special protection,” she added.

The convention was highlighted by the signing of the proposed amendments to RA 8972 by the presidents of the different solo parents associations from the seven regions.

Among the proposed amendments are: inclusion of penalties for non-compliance to the amended law; inclusion of budget appropriation for its implementation; allocation of one percent from the internal revenue allotment (IRA); creation of an office of solo parents in every province, city/municipality; provision of full scholarship to at least one child; equal access to employment and educational opportunities; reduction of taxes for solo parents; provision of PhilHealth card for solo parents below poverty line; and, provision of free legal assistance.

Also proposed, which came-up during the open forum, is to increase the age of a solo parent’s beneficiary/dependent from 18 to 21 years old in view of the implementation of the K-12 curriculum of the Department of Education which adds additional years to basic education.

“We are pushing for these amendments because these are our common concerns. The need for medical, educational, legal and livelihood assistance particularly for solo parents living below poverty level must be addressed by the national and local governments, and the agencies tasked to provide the appropriate assistance,” explained Estelito Alcaraz, President of the Solong Nanay at Tatay (SONATA) Confederation, the umbrella organization of all SPAs.

Naga City Mayor John Bongat, on the other hand, emphasized that the LGU is committed in helping solo parents and their children, especially those below the poverty line.

Naga City is the first LGU which has a separate Solo Parents Affairs Office with the president, secretary and treasurer of the Naga City Federation of Solo Parents receiving monthly salaries from the Office of the Mayor. Their programs and services for solo parent include livelihood training, scholarship program up to the tertiary level for at least one child of a solo parent, and housing project, among others.

The convention was also attended by DSWD-Field Office V Director Arnel Garcia and DSWD-Field Office IV-CALABARZON Director Leticia Diokno, Jaime Reblando, head of the City Social Welfare Development Office (CSWDO), members of the SRC, and representatives from local and national government agencies. ###