This year’s Adoption Consciousness Month celebration served as an opportunity for adoptive and foster families to gather and bond as they joined the activity on March 20-21, 2016 in Tuguegarao City.

The said activity kicked off with a motorcade from Tuguegarao City to SM City Cauayan, Isabela where several adoptive and foster families together with DSWD staff joined the parade to intensify its advocacy efforts for legal adoption.

At the SM City Mall, the participants share their journey to legal adoption and learn from each other’s experiences.

“It is inspiring to see them open up  and tell their stories so that they will develop a support group and watch each other’s back,” said Ms. Lucia S. Alan, DSWD Field Office 02’s Protective Services Unite Head.

Meanwhile, the Adoption Resource and Referral Unit of DSWD maintains its stand for legal adoption process despite the public’s misgivings on its tedious process.

“The public has to understand that we at DSWD always considers the best interest of the child in adoption processes and in other services or programs where a child is involve, hence, no shortcuts shall be made in order that the child shall only be placed or put up for adoption to a family where his best interest is the paramount consideration,” expressed Ms. Rosario Corpuz, Adoption Resource and Referral Unit Head. ### By: Gela Flor R. Perez, Regional Information II