Nagpasalamat si AP party-list nominee Ronnie Ong sa House of Representatives at Senado sa pagsisigurong maipasa ang panukalang Foundling Welfare Act.
Layon ng panukalang batas na maisulong ang interes at karapatan ng mga inabandonang bata at kilalanin bilang ‘natural born’ Filipino citizen.
Kamakailan, inaprubahan ng Senado ang panukala habang naipasa naman ang House version nito (House Bill 7679) noong October 5, 2021.
“The Foundling law is a signature away from becoming law. There’s is no longer a need to go to bicam because we have just adopted the Senate version considering that both versions are almost the same, if not completely identical,” pahayag ni Ong.
Aniya, naipakita sa panukalang batas ang kalinawan sa estado ng ‘foundlings na itinuturing bilang ‘stateless’ at walang karapatan na magkaroon ng access sa serbisyo ng gobyerno.
“Many people do not know that foundlings, upon growing up, are required to prove the impossible to gain citizenship or even have their own identities under the law. To prove their citizenship, they have to show proof that their parents are Filipinos despite not knowing them at all their whole lives,” ani Ong.
Dagdag pa nito, “These children didn’t even ask to end up in these circumstances, and they don’t deserve to be treated as second-class citizens. Let us once and for all stop this injustice and discrimination that has been going on for many decades already.”
Sa ilalim ng panukala, ang mga ‘foundling’ na natagpuan sa Pilipinas, Philippine embassies, consulates, at teritoryo sa abroad ay pagkakalooban ng karapatan at proteksyon simula sa oras ng kanilang kapanganakan.
Mabibigyan din sila ng karapatan sa mga serbisyo at programa ng gobyerno kabilang ang registration, facilitation para sa pag-ampon, legal at police protection, tamang pagpapakain, medical care, at pagpasok sa ligtas na child centers.
Nagparating din ng pasasalamat at suporta si Senator Grace Poe sa Foundling Welfare Act.
“Napakalaking bagay nito para sa mga foundlings. Masaya po akong mawawala na ang mga batang ipinagkaitan hindi lamang ng mga magulang kundi pati karapatan at proteksyon. Thank you to AP Partylist Rep. Ronnie Ong, who is also my long-time friend, for fighting for this in the House of Representatives. Tinrabaho at isinulong po ito talaga ng AP Partylist hanggang dulo. Hanggang natupad na. Thank you for fighting for ALL children and seeing it all through,” saad ng senador.