Thousands join NACC-led fun run to promote adoption and child care. Photo courtesy of NACC
MANILA — Around 1,100 cyclists and runners flocked to the South Road in Ermita, Manila on Sunday morning for the National Capital Region leg of the BISIG-Kleta and Fun Run for a Cause in celebration of Philippine Adoption and Alternative Child Care Week.
The event is part of a nationwide campaign by the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) that engaged 6,300 participants over the weekend.
NACC Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada said this year’s celebration, themed “Hope and Home for Every Child,” urges the public to open their hearts and homes to children in need of adoption, foster care, or other forms of alternative child care.
DOT links up with RUNRIO anew for tourism-driven races
“The success of BISIG-Kleta proves that nothing we do for children is ever wasted. By coming together, we highlight the need to collectively respond to every child’s right to have a fair chance to realize his or her dreams,” said Estrada.
She added, “Having a safe and permanent family is a fresh start for every child who has been abandoned, neglected, dependent, surrendered, foundling, orphaned, abused, and exploited.”
The event also serves as a platform to raise awareness about the streamlined process of administrative adoption through the NACC and its 16 Regional Alternative Child Care Offices (RACCOs) nationwide.
Estrada said the system, established under Republic Act No. 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act of 2022, provides a faster, simpler, and more affordable way to legally adopt a child in the Philippines.
It also aims to fight illegal forms of adoption, including independent placements and online schemes for selling infants.
“The streamlined administrative processes are incentive enough for adoptive and licensed foster care parents to go through the legal channels. Everything has been made easy to ensure that their journey is successful, hassle-free, and always in the best interest of the child,” Estrada said.
Runners take part in Independence Day fun run exploring Intramuros