The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the lead agency promoting the welfare and protection of children, including adopted children, strongly condemns the offensive joke delivered in one of the segments of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network’s noontime TV program, “It’s Showtime.”
During the segment “Purokatatawanan,” one of the talents of the show delivered a joke with a negative and discriminatory connotation on adopted children. The act strongly contradicts the efforts of the DSWD and its partner organizations to eliminate the discrimination and negative perception of the public on legal adoption and having adopted children.
“The Department strongly condemns statements, which are offensive, insensitive, and stimulate social stigma to adoptees by any individual, private or public institution, and organization. The words ‘ampon ka’ is discriminatory and has negative connotation. Even if the statement was delivered in a manner of joke and/or for entertainment purpose, the show and the network have the full responsibility over it,” said DSWD Acting Secretary Virgina N. Orogo, who also served as the vice-chairperson of the Inter-Country Adoption Board (ICAB).
“As the agency that works for the protection and promotion of children’s welfare, we see legal adoption as good and the best last option for children who were neglected, abandoned or without families. While adoptive parents are nurturing their adoptive children, we are preserving the child’s identity and culture, and upholding their rights to a family,” she added.
Currently, the DSWD with its partner registered child placement and child caring agencies and other national government agencies continue to strengthen the advocacy of legal adoption in the Philippines through the annual observance of the Adoption Consciousness Celebration.
In addition, the Department also holds adoption help desks around the country to inform the public on the process of legal adoption and the rights of neglected/abandoned children to have a decent life with a family that provides unconditional love and support to them.
Intensified campaign vs illegal adoption
As of this writing, the program has already issued a public apology, but the social welfare chief believes that the network has the obligation to assure the public that similar incidents will not happen again in the future. She also encouraged broadcasting networks to help warn the public against illegal adoption transactions happening in social media sites such as Facebook.
“We enjoin everyone to help us advocate legal adoption and its process. Let us continue to warn the public against transactions with unregistered child caring agencies and individuals by any means,” she ended. ###
