Adoption was not an option, at first, for couple Rommel and Julie Macanda.
“We were not open at first to adoption and foster care until we had difficulty having our biological child,” said the couple, as they started to share their foster care journey of having the 8-year-old Alexa.
According to the couple, their foster care journey sparked with a realization that “there were parents longing to have a child, and that there were children who are longing to have parents.”
“We went to DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and applied for the adoption of a 6-month-old baby,” Julie said.
As they await for an update regarding the process, she mentioned a vivid vision occurred to her of a girl with braided hair with back turned against her and with hands handcuffed. Weeks after, to their amazement, Alexa came into their lives through an emergency foster care placement.
New to this situation, the couple had adjustments, especially since the one brought to their home was an 8-year-old child that already has her own memories and past experiences.
Prior to having them as foster parents, Julie shared that Alexa has been transferring from one place to another which caused the child hardships and trauma.
But with the support of DSWD, and now with Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO) VI, the couple learned, through crash courses and trainings, the ways of handling the situation and how to properly provide the love and security that Alexa needs. They also cited the significance of having a support system from their fellow foster parents.
“It really helped us along the way, while Alexa has already been there with us,” Rommel noted.
Republic Act No. 10165 or the Foster Care Act of 2012 provides parental authority for foster parents, duly licensed by the National Authority for Child Care through RACCO. This act also strengthens and propagates foster care, referring to the provision of planned temporary substitute parental care to a child, citing the minimum qualification, process, and documentary requirements for foster care.
Meanwhile, the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act
or RA 11642 strengthened the previous law by providing an administrative process for domestic adoption.
This new law, passed in January 2022, made the adoption proceedings simplified and less expensive, and streamlined the services for alternative child care for the best interest of the child.
Focusing on the awareness campaign highlighting the benefits of adoption and foster care, RA 11642 also designated the second week of June every year as Adoption and Alternative Child Care Week.
The Macanda couple were two of the foster parents recently featured by RACCO 6 during this year’s celebration with the theme “Every Child Matters: A New Era in Adoption and Alternative Child Care.”
Teary-eyed Mrs. Macanda emphasized that she believed that orphans need parents and that they should not be in the institutions.
“So, we are here to think of the future of our child. To raise them as Godly as possible because this is their future,” she added.
Now, Alexa just graduated from her elementary studies and has been with the Macanda couple for five years.
The foster care journey of the Macanda family speaks the truth of the famous line “Family is not about blood. It is about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most.” (AAL/FRG/PIA6)
