BATANGAS CITY (PIA) — Solo parents in Batangas City are set to receive increased benefits and privileges as the Expanded Solo Parent Welfare Ordinance, that was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod in 2023, takes effect in the city. 

According to Councilor Ched Atienza, the ordinance institutionalized Republic Act No. 11861, also known as the Expanded Solo Parent Welfare Act, aiming to provide comprehensive services and privileges to solo parents, as stipulated under the law.

Among the various social services and welfare benefits include a monthly cash subsidy of P1,000 for those earning minimum wage or below. Additionally, there is a 10 percent discount, along with value added tax exemption, on essential childcare products for those earning less than P250,000. 

Eligible solo parents will also be given priority in programs related to scholarships, medical assistance, livelihood support, employment, and training.

Solo parents covered by this ordinance include those who are single-handedly caring and providing for children, such as widows, widowers, those with invalidated or annulled marriages, abandoned by spouses or partners, victims of rape, spouses of incarcerated or convicted individuals, and those lacking sufficient mental capacity.

Also included are spouses of overseas Filipino workers categorized as low/semi-skilled workers who have been out of the country for a year, unmarried mothers or fathers, any family member acting as a legal guardian and caring for children due to the death, disappearance, or abandonment of the biological parents.

According to the Batangas City Public Information Office (PIO), to qualify for benefits, a solo parent must register with the barangay and undergo an assessment to determine eligibility. They must be residents of the city earning below the poverty threshold set by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

Solo parents earning above the designated poverty threshold set by NEDA are entitled to limited benefits, such as a flexible work schedule and seven days of leave per year (with pay), in addition to regular employee leave benefits.

The ordinance also specifies that children of a solo parent who have been left bereaved will be eligible to receive financial assistance amounting to P2,000.

The Batangas City PIO added that a solo parent identification must be obtained to avail of these privileges.

Any violation of this ordinance, and anyone proven to have falsified documents to obtain benefits, will face corresponding penalties.

The Batangas City PIO added that the city government will set up a Solo Parents Desk to be facilitated by the City Social Welfare and Development Office. (MPDC, PIA Batangas)