Single parenthood may have a variety
of reasons and may take on different forms - be it overseas work, abandonment,
widowhood, incarceration, legal or de facto separation, annulment, adoption, or
a child out of wedlock due to poor education and promotion of methods of
contraception. But in this day
and age, as a matter of
social statement on the respect for life and women’s reproductive rights, it
must be expressed as a State policy that a solo parent’s brave choice and
genuine struggle to raise a child alone even in adverse circumstances should be
lauded and commended.
In
2000, Solo Parents constituted 2.9 or nearly 3 million of the country’s
population. A more recent
World Health Organization-funded study by the Department of Health (DOH) and
the University of the Philippines – National Institute for Health (UP-NIH)
placed the number of solo parents at 14 to 15 percent of the estimated 94
million Filipinos. Today, around 13.9 or 14 million Filipinos are solo parents
struggling to support their families and raise their children alone. According
to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), there are around three
(3) million children in solo parent homes in the Philippines today. These are
children of single parents, widows, and kids of migrants or overseas workers.
DSWD records show that under the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), 170,000 beneficiaries are Solo
Parents. And in the DSWD alone where the organizing and empowerment of Solo
Parents was first piloted as a “support group”, there are more than 200 solo
parent-employees nationwide.[1]
It cannot be denied that this
phenomenon may have dire implications and consequences. Several international
organizations involved in the development of Asia are concerned about the high
ratio of single moms in the Philippines because it threatens to become a
socio-economic menace. For example, some single moms may not be able to afford
education for some or all of her kids and in most circumstances, such children
can take to drug abuse and/or crime. In view of the existing poverty and low
education, such children can also become ideal recruits for any terror network
or human trafficking - since job opportunities for these citizens will be
lower. Some studies have shown that female children of Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs) left in the care of grandparents or relatives are also prone to becoming
single parents themselves.
Meanwhile, there have been reports of
parish priests in Catholic churches turning away children for baptisms because the
parents cannot produce a marriage certificate. Some private Catholic schools are
also said to be refusing admission to children because their parents are not
married or are separated.[2]
Clearly, we need progressive State
policies on the evolving nature of the Filipino Family that will acknowledge,
recognize and respect the existence of “alternative” families or the varying
compositions of the family. In addition, we need policies that must address the
issues of stigma and discrimination being experienced by children of solo
parents from private Catholic schools which technically deprive them of their
right to a high quality education.
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