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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lani Mercado seeks assessment of law on abandoned babies' safe haven

Lani Mercado seeks assessment of law on abandoned babies' safe haven

Published Mar 8, 2024 01:15 pm

At A Glance

  • Cavite 2nd district Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla files a House resolution seeking an inquiry into the implementation of the safe havens provision in the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act.

alex-pasarelu-S8BW-Wx9G8I-unsplash.jpg(Unsplash)

"Have we provided a safe haven for abandoned children?"

Cavite 2nd district Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla raised this question as she filed a resolution that sought an inquiry into the implementation of the safe havens provision in the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act.

Mercado appealed to the House Committee on the Welfare of Children to conduct an investigation to uncover the supposed shortcomings of the law. This, following multiple reports of newborn babies found either abandoned or dead.

“Hindi po ang comfort room ng isang gasoline station o eco-bag ang tamang lugar para sa bagong silang na supling. Kahit pa ilagak siya sa loob ng isang simbahan, kung wala naman nakarinig sa kanyang pag-iyak, hindi po natin matutulungan ang bagong panganak na sanggol,” the former actress-turned-lawmaker said in a statement on Friday, March 8.

(The comfort room of a gasoline station or an eco-bag is not the right place for a newborn baby. Even if we put them inside a church, if no one hears their cries, we will not be able to help the newborn baby.)

“Bilang isang nanay, lola, at babae, nagdurugo ang puso ko para sa mga inabandonang bata,” she underscored.

(As a mother, grandmother, and woman, my heart bleeds for abandoned children.)

Signed into law in 2022, Republic Act (RA) No. 11767—which embodies the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act—allows parents to safely relinquish infants to designated locations without legal repercussions.

"Almost two years hence, what has been done to achieve this end? What programs have been designed, and is there an active implementation?" asked Mercado.

As such, the congresswoman is calling for a “whole-of-nation approach” among government agencies and media outlets to inform Filipinos about the law.

She urged news organizations to always include government hotlines in news coverage related to this issue.

“Sama-sama, tulong-tulong po nating gawin ligtas na kanlungan para sa mga sanggol ang ating bansa,” she emphasized.

(Together, let's help make our country a safe haven for babies.)

Related Tags

babies safe haven lani mercado-revilla Abandoned baby
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