Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday, May 29 filed a resolution calling for a Senate investigation into the abrupt transfer of orphans from an orphanage in Quezon City to state-run facilities by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Hontiveros in filing Senate Resolution No. 643, said it is imperative for the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, which she chairs, to conduct an inquiry into the cease and desist order (CDO) issued by the DSWD against Gentle Hands Inc., (GHI) orphanage that resulted in the pulling out of wards of GHI from its facility. DSWD officials claimed that after conducting a spot inspection of the facility and flagging areas of concern such as overcrowding, ventilation and fire safety, GHI failed to rectify the situation and make improvements in the building. The senator said there is an urgent need to review the current policies on orphanages and child residential care facilities following the DSWD’s inspection on GHI’s amenities and services. “The removal of the chldren from the facility stemmed from a CDO order against GHI issued by the DSWD, in which the latter stated that GHI failed to comply with the Department’s minimum standards for residential facilities for children,” Hontiveros noted in her resolution. “According to the GHI, the actions of the DSWD were traumatizing for the chldren, many of whom already suffer from the wounds of abandonment and abuse,” she pointed out. Hontiveros noted many of the orphans have specific needs, including some who require medical attention and psycho-social counseling. “While the safety and adequacy of living standards are important concerns, it is also important to determine whether or not the correct processes were followed in the removal of the children from a child care facility subject to a CDO, and whether or not these processes are informed by the best interests of the child doctrine,” Hontiveros said. The lawmaker said it is imperative to also look into GHI’s operation in the context of Republic Act No. 11642 or the Act Strengthening Alternative Child Care by Providing for an Administrative Process of Domestic Adoption. The senator said RA 11642 is a recent piece of legislation, thus, it is “imperative for the Senate to exercise the necessary oversight to check adherence to state policies” and to “ensure that the best interests of the child are always upheld.”