For the first time since the enactment of RA 8972 or the Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000, more than 5,000 solo parents will gather in a significant event, the Launching of National Solo Parents Day and National Assembly of Solo Parents, to push for the proposed amendments of the Act.

The event, spearheaded by the Bulacan Confederation of Solo Parents Inc. and Nain Foundation, is dubbed as “Nag-iisang Ikaw,” with the theme, “Advancing Social Integration and Intergenerational Solidarity.”  It will be held at Liwasang Aurora, Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City on April 27, 2013, from 6 pm onwards.

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that “solo parents are considered as part of the disadvantaged and vulnerable sector of society, and must be provided with the necessary assistance.”

According to Mr. Lito Alcaraz, president of the Confederation of Solo Parents in Bulacan, the event will also enhance awareness on the rights and benefits of solo parents. “There are more than 20,000 solo parents in the province of Bulacan alone, and the number is increasing,” Mr. Alcaraz stated.

“What is even more alarming is that the ages of single moms and dads are getting younger.  I call on all organized solo parents groups to join hands in conducting a massive advocacy and information campaign so that everyone is aware of the existing law, and that solo parents are entitled to benefits, just like other disadvantaged sectors,” he explained.

As an agency mandated to protect and promote the rights and welfare of disadvantaged and vulnerable sectors, including solo parents, the Department of Social Welfare and Development fully supports the conduct of this event.  Members of the Solo Parents Group in DSWD Central Office will participate in the event.

“We encourage all solo parents to join this event. There is strength in numbers and we need to speak with one voice to push for amendments to RA 8972,” the spokesperson of the Solo Parents Group in DSWD Central Office stated.

Attending solo parents, who will be coming from different solo parents associations (SPAs), and the organizers are hopeful that the National Solo Parents Day will become an annual event by virtue of a Presidential Proclamation. ###