MANILA: The National Council for Solo Parents (NCSP) on Tuesday said it will conduct a pilot implementation of its Strengthening Opportunities for Lone Parents (Solo) program to address the psychological and emotional challenges associated with single parenting.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing over People’s Television Network, NCSP Secretary General Redd de Guzman said the Solo program aims to aid single-parent families handle social and psychological difficulties.
De Guzman said the focus should not only be on problems of a financial nature, but also the psychological effects of being a single parent.
“Hindi puwedeng puro mga financial at ano lang. We have to address, lalo na ngayon, ang laki-laki ng mga kaso ng mental health tapos nasisira iyong mga pamilya kasi iyong communication between the parent and the child ay wala. So itong program na ito, it will address that (We should not limit our focus to financial issues. Especially now, we have to address the mental health problems, as well as the co
mmunication breakdowns within single-parent families. So this program will address that),” he said.
The pilot implementation will be launched in Anda, Pangasinan; Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu Province; and Panabo City, Davao del Norte this year.
De Guzman said the Department of Social Welfare and Development is targeting a nationwide implementation of the Solo program by 2025.
De Guzman said he had a discussion with Department of the Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Elizabeth De Leon regarding the conduct of town hall meetings to disseminate the programs and projects of the government for solo parents.
“We want the solo parents to be a part ng ano, active participants ng nation building at hindi lang sila tignan ng gobyerno na isang sektor na nangangailangan ng tulong. So we want them to be empowered enough para mawala iyong trauma and stigma (We want the solo parents to be a part of or active participants in nation building, rather than being perceived by the government as a vulnerable sector
in need of assistance. So, we want them to be empowered enough so that the trauma and stigma [attached to single parents] will be gone),” he said.
Republic Act 11861, or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act covers six categories of solo parents:
— A parent who provides sole parental care and support of the child or children;
— A spouse, any family member, or a guardian of the child or children of an overseas Filipino worker, provided that the OFW belongs to a group of low/semi-skilled workers and has been away for an uninterrupted period of 12 months;
–An unmarried parent who keeps and rears the child or children;
–Any legal guardian, adoptive, or foster parent who solely provides parental care and support;
–Any relative within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity of the parent or legal guardian who assumes parental care and support of the child or children as a result of death, abandonment, disappearance, or absence of the parents for at least six months; and,
–A pregnant woman
who provides sole parental care and support to the unborn child or children.
Source: Philippines News Agency