In a bid to ensure that no child is left behind in the country’s nation-building efforts, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano revived a bill seeking to establish a national care system and trust fund for orphans.
An advocacy he has consistently raised since 2010, Cayetano filed Senate Bill No. 106 or the Trust Fund for the Abandoned, Neglected, or Voluntarily Committed Child on July 3, 2025 as part of his 24 priority measures for the 20th Congress.
“The Bible, in Psalm 82:3, reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect the vulnerable children: ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed,'” the veteran legislator wrote in the bill’s explanatory note.
The measure tasks the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination with other agencies, to implement a National Child Support and Care (NCSC) Program.
Under the program, the DSWD shall provide shelter, nutrition, healthcare, psychosocial services, and education to qualified children.
It will also include a Child Find System, family tracing and reintegration efforts, and capacity-building initiatives for social welfare officers and care workers.
A crucial aspect of the bill is the establishment of a dedicated trust fund for eligible children, to be managed by an accredited trust entity through a memorandum of agreement with the DSWD.
The DSWD shall deposit P15,000 per child every quarter, with the amount adjusted regularly to account for inflation.
The DSWD shall deposit P15,000 per child every quarter, with the amount adjusted regularly to account for inflation. Once a child turns 18, the fund may be accessed and used for education, livelihood, or personal development.
The trust fund will draw resources from the General Appropriations Act (GAA), private donations, unclaimed child support, and other allowable sources.
In filing the bill, Cayetano emphasized the government’s duty to act as parens patriae or the legal protector of citizens unable to protect themselves, while also empowering families to care and provide for their children.
The non-government group Philippines Without Orphans estimates that 5 to 7 million children in the country are abandoned, neglected, or orphaned. But according to the Rohei Foundation, an adoption advocacy group, only about 237 Filipino children are adopted each year.
“These children deserve what every child does: a safe, nurturing, and stable environment, the chance to live with dignity, and the opportunity to dream.”
“These children deserve what every child does: a safe, nurturing, and stable environment, the chance to live with dignity, and the opportunity to dream and contribute to nation-building for the future of our country,” the seasoned lawmaker stressed.
During last year’s plenary deliberations on the proposed 2025 DSWD budget, Cayetano had urged the agency to identify stunted children in orphanages and provide cash aid through the care facilities, on the condition that the children attend school and receive regular health checkups.
“Our vision for inclusive, equitable nation-building must include every child, especially those without families to rely on,” the senator said in the bill’s explanatory note.
“Just as the government sustains programs like 4Ps, it must also invest in the future of these children,” he concluded.
