We have already talked about recognition. We have talked about protection. We have discussed the laws that now clearly say something that should have always been true: a foundling is a Filipino. But four years after the creation of the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) and the enactment of Republic Act No 11767, or the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act, the question is no longer limited to recognition alone. The real question now is: what happens after?
Because once a child is officially declared a foundling and issued a Certificate of Declaring a Child Legally Available for Adoption (CDCLAA), the journey ahead is no longer simply legal or procedural. It becomes a long and often uncertain path shaped by systems, timelines, and available resources, and most importantly, the presence of families willing and ready to provide permanent care. And the numbers quietly reveal this reality.
Over the past three years, 157 foundlings have been adopted through domestic administrative adoption. Another 34 foundlings were adopted through inter-country adoption and are now living with their new families abroad. Each number represents far more than a completed process. Each number is a child moved from uncertainty to belonging, from waiting to permanence, from institutional care to family care. But many children are still waiting.
At present, 83 foundlings remain in foster care arrangements, living with foster families who temporarily provide care while permanent family placement is being pursued. Of these, 41 foundlings receive monthly foster care subsidies ranging from P8,000 to P10,000 to assist foster families in supporting the child's daily needs and development. Others continue to live in residential or facility-based care or child caring agencies while awaiting permanent opportunities.
And while systems have improved, another important development has quietly reshaped how foundlings are recognized in official records. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) now issues a Certificate of Live Birth with No Known Parents (COLBWNKP), replacing the older Certificate of Foundling (COF). At first glance, this may appear to be a minor administrative adjustment. But in reality, it carries a deeper meaning. It recognizes that a child's life and existence are recorded first, even when biological parentage remains unknown. It strengthens legal identity, reinforces citizenship, and helps protect the child from future uncertainty regarding civil status and nationality. In many ways, it is a shift in perspective, from defining a child by abandonment to recognizing the child first as a person born with rights.
But even with improved laws and systems, challenges remain. Delays in processing continue to occur. Some personnel across agencies and local offices are still not fully familiar with the implementing rules and procedures. In some areas, policies are interpreted inconsistently, creating uneven experiences for children and families navigating the system. And outside government systems, another reality persists: social stigma. Despite legal recognition, some foundlings still encounter discrimination, insensitive treatment, or unfair assumptions because of the circumstances surrounding their birth or abandonment. A birth record may establish citizenship, but documentation cannot erase prejudice.
That is why one principle must remain clear and uncompromising. Foundlings should never be treated differently when it comes to access to government services and opportunities. In education, healthcare, social protection, and community life, they are entitled to the same rights, dignity, and protections afforded to every Filipino child. A foundling is not a different kind of citizen. A foundling is simply Filipino.
And perhaps this is where the conversation ultimately leads us. Are we building a system that merely recognizes children on paper? Or are we creating a society that truly sees them, supports them, and allows them to fully belong? Because in the end, these children are not waiting to be labeled. They are waiting for permanence. They are waiting for acceptance. They are waiting for their families. And like every child, they are waiting to feel that they belong.
