CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) organized a fun run from Barangay Dolores to the Pampanga Sports Complex to kickoff the regional celebration of 2019 Adoption Consciousness Week.
Anchored on the theme “Pagmamahal Palaganapin, Legal na Pag-aampon Ating Gawin! (Spread Unconditional Love Through Legal Adoption)”, the fun run aims to further raise public awareness and knowledge about legal adoption and foster care.
“With this celebration, we want to stress the importance of adoption and foster care in the normal development of children, especially those who are abandoned, neglected, surrendered and abused. These children, who are legally available for adoption, should be placed in permanent families as soon as possible,” DSWD Regional Director Gemma Gabuya said.
“Aside from the fun run, there will also be adoption care forums in the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija to discuss legal adoption process and common issues encountered by adoptive and foster parents,” Gabuya added.
DSWD will also set up Adoption Helpdesk in select malls and establishments across the region to respond to inquiries of the public on adoption and foster care laws.
The celebration, created by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 72 series of 1999, aims to ensure nationwide awareness of the growing number of orphaned, abandoned or neglected Filipino children in need of alternative wholesome family environment.