Philippine Adoption
By Vic de la Cruz

Today’s families are formed through many different ways. My family was formed through the wonderful act of adoption. My name is Vic dela Cruz, and I am writing to share information on Philippine adoption.

My wife, Shanna, and I have 2 adopted boys originally from Cebu City, Philippines. We adopted our boys on two separate occasions in 2002 and 2005. Currently we are in the process of adopting a third child. Our sons, Jeremy (age 7) and Jasper (age 3) bring us great joy. We enjoy being their parents, helping and celebrating with them as they reach their own life milestones. Our boys are well adapted and happy. Of course they each have distinct personalities that we enjoy. We are looking forward to finding out what our third child will be like.

It was an obvious choice for us to adopt from the Philippines. We felt that we would be able to provide important cultural ties to a child from that country. My side of the family is Filipino and so we felt it was a good match. My wife and I each had some prior life experience with adoption and so we came into agreement about the route we would take to becoming parents. We had support from family and friends. We made efforts to spend time with other families who had adopted. We prayed about it. It became a very easy choice.

 Adoption starts in your heart. It starts with the desire to commit your self to loving a child and being there to meet that child’s needs for as long as they need. It is an act of unconditional love and commitment to that child. It has been extremely rewarding for us. My wife and I are glad to share our experience, enthusiasm, and insight with anyone interested in adopting.

When considering adoption, there are many adoption agencies to consider. Some function in state others are out of state. My wife and I have had wonderful experiences with Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. They are an in state agency and have been doing Philippine adoptions for many years, placing an average of 30 Filipino children in loving homes in Wi a year. They have a special heart for Filipino children and have recently initiated a new program to help facilitate adoptions of older children. (see related article about Philippine Adoption Ambassador Program). I had the pleasure of volunteering in this program and met many incredible kids. Currently, we are pursuing our third adoption through Holt International (based out of Oregon) in conjunction with LSS, and so far the process has been outstanding. Bethany and Wide Horizons are other agencies that handle Philippine adoption. We have heard good things about Bethany. Whichever the agency, ultimately- they end up dealing with the central authority of adoption in the Philippines. This organization is called ICAB – or the Inter-Country Adoption Board. Any adoption of a Filipino child goes through this organization. I have personally met some of the members of this board. They are individuals who are giving their time, talent and energy to help Filipino children find permanent loving homes. They care very deeply about Filipino children and they recognize how crucial it is for these children to placed with families who love them.

The requirements for Philippine adoption are as follows: Adoptive parents seeking to adopt infants must be between the ages of 27-45. Couples must be married for at least three years, and at least five years if one or both of the spouses have previously been divorced. Parents may have up to 3 other children already in their household. Although it is not a requirement, the Philippine program has a strong preference for applicants who plan to raise their children in a religious tradition. Parents must be open to either gender.

 Children of either gender under the age of 15 years old, sibling groups and those with varying needs can be adopted. Infants available for adoption are 8 months of age and older. Toddlers and older children are also available. Children are generally cared for in orphanages with a good ratio of caregivers to babies.

Paperwork involved consists of a home study, biographical information on the couple or family, medical approval from your doctors, financial statement, character references, background checks and a brief family photo album. You will be asked to provide certified copies of some important documents. There are a number of forms to fill out but a good agency will guide you through them. The forms are not difficult but quite thorough. Some need to be notarized. We have found the process to be helpful in evaluating our adoption readiness and it has assisted us in communicating our perspectives as we approached each adoption.

Once all the required paperwork is completed and approved by your agency, it is sent to the Philippines, processed through ICAB where it is assigned to a social worker. The social workers are familiar with the children. You are matched with a child based on the information that you have provided in your paper work and the needs of the children at present. The 6 members of the ICAB Board panel endorse the final decision if they think it is a good match. The child, in photo and with any available history, is then presented to you by your adoption agency. At that point it is your decision. Yes, means within 3-6 months you will have a new member in your family.

It may take up to two years from the time your home study is completed to the time you travel to pick up your child. Usually it is about 18 months. Filipinos are likely to receive priority treatment and so the process may be quicker. The anticipation of a match is exciting and taxing. That and waiting to travel are in my opinion, the toughest part of the process. Once you accept a match, it may take 4-6 weeks to prepare for travel. While you are preparing for travel, a liaison in the Philippines is preparing your child and their travel documents. This includes all paperwork necessary for your child to enter the country in your care.

Upon traveling, the adoption agency arranges, coordinates and assists with everything to make the long journey go smoothly. Usually they can recommend a travel agent who works with the agency and who specializes in adoption trips. There are a variety of airlines that travel to the Philippines and some, like Northwest, offer discounted adoption airfare. The agency will recommend or arrange accommodations. They will also develop the trip schedule and arrange transportation. A good agency will provide a very clear itinerary with all these details accounted for. In country, you will have the opportunity to become acquainted with your child. You may also have the opportunity to see the child care facility where your child has lived. You may also meet very important personnel who have cared for your child or have worked with your case. You may be surprised when you see the quality of the child care facility and amazed by the love of the caregivers and other wonderful children you meet. You can make your trip in as short as 5 days but of course I recommend longer because any trip to the Philippines should be one where you can really soak in the culture. It’s nice to visit the city of your child’s birth, take pictures, spend down time getting a feel for your child’s personality, eat lots of meals. The important thing is that your child has time with just you. It’s a huge change for them, and your interactions have to gently let them know that you are now loving them and providing for them.

Upon returning to Wisconsin, it takes 8-12 months to finalize the adoption within the state. During this time, you will be asked to provide follow-up information on how things are going and you will receive follow up visits from the agency that did your home study. They want to make sure things are going well and provide any support that might be needed during the adjustment time.

 We can honestly testify that the process is geared to be in the best interest of the children.

The costs with adopting from the Philippines usually range from $20,000 to $25,000 – not all due at once. About $10,000 may be associated with travel depending on the length of your trip. Airfare is your biggest expense. There are fees that are paid to the agencies in the Philippines and costs that are associated with visiting the childcare facilities. There are travel document costs for your child and government fees. The rest are adoption fees, which you pay throughout the process of the adoption but mostly prior to travel. They include adoption agency fees, home study fees, government fees, and document preparation fees.

There are a number of ways to offset some of the cost. Some of the adoption agencies have assistance programs that you may apply for. Some employers have adoption assistance as part of their benefits packages. Currently, there is a tax credit available up to $10,000, (depending on your income) to offset the adoption costs.

The processes associated with adoption are greatly beneficial for parenthood. They amplify the commitment it takes to be a parent. Still adoptive families enjoy resources available to them for support. There are numerous supportive groups that are in state and out of state, other adoptive families and the adoption agencies themselves can be a valuable resource.

Personally, we have found that local Philippine cultural events are especially helpful to families in which there is not a Filipino other than the adopted child. It is helpful to these children to make connections to the culture that they came from. It endorses who they are now. One summer my family and I traveled to Colorado to attend a camp designed for families who adopted children from the Philippines. For the weekend the families there experienced Filipino food, stories, drama, art, music and history. It was wonderful and all the families who attended had a unique and special cultural experience. I certainly hope that FAAWIS can be a cultural resource for families with adoptive Filipino children.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to my wonderful parents, Dr. Renato and Concepcion Diancin, who because of their choice to pursue a relative adoption, I am here to write this article.

Thank you Mom and Dad.

Adoption has been a gift for us, we are thankful to share it with you. Vic, Shanna, Jeremy and Jasper dela Cruz

Resources and websites for adoption:

http://philippines.adoption.com/ http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_437.html http://www.gov.ph/faqs/adoption.asp https://www.cradle.org/adoption-agency/adopt_intl_info_philippine.html http://www.icab.gov.ph/ http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/ http://www.heritagecamps.org/filipino.html