Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo are pushing for a bill for the protection of solo parents and to hold “deadbeat” parents accountable for refusing to support their children.
Daza said he and Tulfo want to combine their efforts to push for the passage of House Bill No. 44 or the Child Support Bill and HB No. 8987 or An Act Punishing the Willful Failure to Pay Paternal Child Support through the Anti-Balasubas Bill to obligate both fathers and mothers to provide adequate support for their abandoned children whether they are legitimate or illegitimate.
The duo took part in a policy forum recently held by the Department of Social Welfare and Development attended by 100 individuals from the family courts, social welfare and development agencies, local governments’ social welfare and development office, Kalipi Organization, Council for the Welfare of Children, DSWD-CO, and DSWD-National Capital Region as well as a group of single parents.
According to Tulfo and Daza, under the Anti-Balasubas Bill, parents would receive assistance in finding employment so they could provide financial support to their children.
“Parents must keep in mind that it is their obligation to look after the welfare of their children even if their kids are not in their custody,” Daza said.
Under Daza’s HB No. 44, monthly support from parents who do not raise their children would be mandated, with the support not less than P6,000 per month, and the establishment of the National Child Support Program.
HB No. 8987 of Tulfo, along with other ACT-CIS party list Reps. Jocelyn Tulfo and Edvic Yap, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and Quezon City Rep. Ralph Tulfo, sets the financial support at 10 percent of an individual’s income, but not less than P6,000, and that a parent who fails to provide financial support may face imprisonment of up to 12 years and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000.
“We are working on this and continually holding consultations to refine this law, and we want to ensure the protection of solo parents and their children,” Tulfo stressed.
The two lawmakers believe that the proposed Anti-Balasubas Bill would provide protection for children abandoned by their parents.
They maintained their commitment to consulting with various sectors to ensure that their proposed law is well-crafted and that the proper protection for solo parents is ensured.
