QUEZON CITY -- A photocopy of the original Pre-Adoption Placement Authority (PAPA) is now allowed for application of adoption leave during calamity, disaster, or emergency.

This was confirmed by the Civil Service Commission through Resolution No. 2101012, which revises certain provisions of the amended Omnibus Rules on Leave. The said resolution was promulgated on 3 December 2021 and will take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication on 4 February 2022.

The PAPA is the notice of approval issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on the placement of the adoptee to the prospective adoptive parents from which the supervised trial custody shall commence.

Per the resolution, the submission of the photocopy of the original PAPA in support of the application for adoption leave is now allowed, provided that the applicant will later be able to submit an authenticated copy issued by DSWD. This is to facilitate the application of leave even during times of calamities, disasters, or emergencies when it is difficult to secure copies of official documents from issuing agencies.

The PAPA, which is issued by the DSWD before the grant of petition for adoption, is filed with Civil Service (CS) Form No. 6, Revised 2020 to apply for adoption leave.

Meanwhile, in the said resolution, the definition of PAPA has also been enhanced to align the usage of the term “PAPA” with Section 12 of Republic Act No. 8552 or the “Domestic Adoption Act of 1998”, and to recognize other DSWD offices in the issuance of the PAPA.

Adoption Leave

In 2021, the CSC issued Resolution No. 2100020 to amend the Omnibus Rules on Leave (CSC Memorandum Circular No. 41, s. 1998, as amended) allowing qualified adoptive parents in the government service to avail of a 60-day adoption leave. Said issuance is pursuant to Republic Act No. 8552 or the “Domestic Adoption Act of 1998”.

Section 20 of the Resolution specifically provides that a qualified female employee or a single male employee may avail of adoption leave of sixty (60) days with full pay, which leave shall be enjoyed in a continuous and uninterrupted manner.  

Meanwhile, the legitimate male spouse of the female employee entitled to adoption leave can also avail of adoption leave of seven (7) days with full pay in consonance with R.A. No. 8187 which shall likewise be enjoyed in a continuous or in an intermittent manner.

The adoption leave must be availed of in a continuous and uninterrupted manner, as it is intended to “provide an opportunity for the prospective adoptee and the adoptive parent/s to develop bonding similar to that between a child and his/her biological parents.” (CSC)