Agusan del Sur town first outside NCR to sign partnership agreement with child care agency
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 25 October) —Sta. Josefa town in Agusan del Sur has become the first local government in Mindanao to partner with the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) in providing permanent homes for abandoned and neglected children.
The agreement, signed on October 21, makes Sta. Josefa one of only six local governments nationwide — and the only one outside the National Capital Region — to formalize a partnership with the NACC.
“This partnership shows our shared commitment to ensure that no child grows up without a family,” said Imelda Ronda, NACC Director for Operations and Services, who represented Social Welfare Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada during the signing.
Under the partnership, the Sta. Josefa Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) will identify and train foster parents, prepare adoption petitions, and process certifications declaring children legally available for adoption.
The initiative was prompted after social workers rescued two foundling minors who had been roaming the streets of Barangay Sampaguita during the pandemic. Sta. Josefa Mayor Richard Plaza then sought the assistance of the NACC to create a stronger local child protection program.
According to Emily Sanogal, Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO) Caraga officer-in-charge, Plaza wanted a pool of foster parents to respond quickly to similar cases in the future.
Since 2023, at least 212 abandoned and neglected children across the Caraga Region have been assisted under the NACC’s adoption and foster care programs. Of these, 55 are now living with adoptive parents, 73 are under licensed foster care, and 30 have been declared legally available for adoption this year.
The NACC, through RACCO Caraga, will assist in processing adoption cases and train local personnel using Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), a trauma-informed approach that helps children recover from abuse or early neglect.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Council for the Welfare of Children have also included NACC’s child care initiatives in the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit, recognizing them as key measures of good governance.
Nationwide, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said more than 7,000 vulnerable children — including abandoned, orphaned, and exploited minors — were housed in government care facilities in 2024.
In Mindanao, the DSWD’s Reception and Study Center for Children in Davao City currently cares for 38 abandoned children aged 0 to 6, underscoring the growing need for foster care and adoption programs in the region. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
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