The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sought to raise awareness of updated benefits for solo parents during a forum on Thursday.

Jocelyn Vince Cruz, Social Welfare Officer IV of the Family and Community Section of the DSWD’s Protective Services Bureau, detailed the classifications and assistance that solo parents may receive under R.A. 11861.

The Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, enacted in November 2022, revised the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000, which offered a vague description of who qualifies as a solo parent.

Under the updated law, individuals may qualify for benefits if they are exclusively exercising sole parental care and support for their children, are not in an active cohabiting setup, and have no pre-existing co-parenting arrangements.

The law also recognizes victims of sexual abuse as eligible for benefits. It further allows individuals whose spouses are currently detained to receive assistance if their spouse has been imprisoned for three months, compared with the previous six-month requirement.

Additionally, people whose spouses have physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from performing parental duties can also be considered solo parents.

“Kung ang asawa mo po ay certified po ng medical practitioner na siya po ay incapacitated to perform po yung kanyang gampanin bilang magulang,” Cruz explained.

The expanded law retains most benefits from the previous solo parents act and adds a P1,000 monthly subsidy, along with a 10 percent discount and VAT exemption for the needs of children six years old or younger.

Currently, approximately 200,000 solo parents are actively receiving benefits from the DSWD program, based on data from field offices.

Cruz noted that the number seems low, citing a combination of lack of information and the specific qualifications required under the law.

“Maaari pong isang factor yun pong kaalaman po ‘no ng mga solo parents, pangalawa po siguro dahil din po sa qualifications,” she said. “Kasi maaari pong may mga solo parents na hindi po nila namemeet itong mga requirements na ‘to.”

She added that the DSWD is working to unify its solo parent ID system to provide more accurate metrics on the number of beneficiaries nationwide.

Cruz also encouraged solo parents to visit their local field offices to register and learn more about the support they are entitled to receive.The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sought to bring awareness to the updated benefits of solo parents in a conference this Thursday.

Social Welfare Officer IV of the Family and Community Section of the DSWD’s Protective Services Bureau, Jocelyn Vince Cruz, detailed the classifications and assistance that solo parents may receive through R.A. 11861.

The Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, enacted in November of 2022, was a law that sought to revise the Solo Parents’ Welfare Act of 2000 that offered a vague description of who qualifies as a solo parent.

Under the updated law, individuals may qualify for benefits if they are exclusively exercising sole parental care and support for their children, are not in active cohabitant setup, and have no pre-existing co-parenting arrangements.

In addition, the law also defined victims of sexual abuse as eligible for benefits. It also updated it to where people with spouses that are currently detained may receive assistance if their spouse has been imprisoned for three months – previously six months.

Aside from that, Cruz also explained that people with spouses that have physical or mental disabilities which prohibit them from doing their parental duty can also be considered solo parents.

“Kung ang asawa mo po ay certified po ng medical practitioner na siya po ay incapacitated to perform po yung kanyang gampanin bilang magulang,” she explained.

The expanded law carried over most of the benefits issued in the previous solo parents act, however, what it did add was a P1,000 monthly subsidy together with a 10 percent discount and VAT exemption for the needs of children six years old or younger.

As it currently stands, there are approximately 200,000 solo parents that are actively receiving benefits from the DSWD’s program based on data that the department received from its field offices.

The DSWD officer expressed that the number did in fact seem quite low, noting that it may be a combination of lack of proper information on the matter as well as the distinct qualifications that the law permits.

“Maaari pong isang factor yun pong kaalaman po ‘no ng mga solo parents, pangalawa po siguro dahil din po sa qualifications,” she stated.

“Kasi maaari pong may mga solo parents na hindi po nila namemeet itong mga requirements na ‘to.”

Cruz later added that the DSWD is pushing to properly unify its solo parent ID system for a more accurate metric on the number of individuals that receive the assistance in the country.

She also called on solo parents to approach their local field offices to figure out how to register as well as to gain a better understanding of the support they are warranted in receiving.