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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DSWD agency reports 'disruptive' behavior of adopted kids from QC orphanage

DSWD agency reports 'disruptive' behavior of adopted kids from QC orphanage

Published May 24, 2023 02:54 am
The National Authority for Child Care (NACC), an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has reported cases of disruptive behavior from children adopted through the Gentle Hands Inc. (GHI) orphanage in Quezon City. On May 22, GHI was served with a cease and desist order (CDO) for allegedly violating Republic Act (RA) 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. In a press conference on Tuesday, May 23, Executive Director Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada cited at least three cases where children from the GHI orphanage displayed aggressive behavior based on cases directly handled by the NACC.  Estrada referred to the children in her report as Child A, Child B, and Child C to protect their identities. “For Child A, actually this child is very disturbed. I personally experienced that because this child went to our office in NACC and the adoptive parents told what this child did. The child locked the adoptive dad inside the bathroom for one to two hours. While the story of the adoptive mom is that she gave the child food but the child threw it away and trampled on it,” Estrada said in a mix of English and Filipino. “Child B is also a disturbed child, because the child is not prepared for adoption. Actually, all of the cases involve children who exhibit disruptive behavior and are not prepared to leave the country. Child B stabbed the adoptive parents, not once, but five times,” she said. The NACC undersecretary deplored that Child B, who is currently admitted in a mental institution in the United States, will return to the Philippines this week through the intervention of NACC, with assistance from the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately assess the child’s mental health. “Then Child C. I really cannot disclose this case because it is under investigation. But it has a big impact on us because in this case there are many agencies involved, not just here in the Philippines. Actually, the adoptive parents of our Child C have complained to the US State Department and the Hague Convention,” Estrada said. According to the NACC chief, the disruptive behaviors of these children are the result of “poor preparation of the children—mentally, physically, and emotionally.” Due to these cases, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the DSWD is currently retooling its programs and services, including the centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs) and Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs), which play important roles in preparing children for adoption, in order to avoid “disruption” cases. “We will look at the overall licensing issues of Gentle Hands and not just Gentle Hands,” Gatchalian said. “We always thrive to put the best interest of the child on top of its agenda. That will include looking at the physical plan, retooling the care facilities if needed so we can look into the disruptive behavior later on. So all of these are being looked into as we do our general program review for everything,” he added.

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Rex Gatchalian DSWD
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