Negligent parents who intentionally and repeatedly refuse to provide financial support to their children, either out of wedlock or not, should be punished with imprisonment of two to four years, depending on the court decision with new proposed House Bill 4807.
This pertains to either the runaway father or mother, and if found guilty, they should also be made to pay a monetary fine ranging from P100,000 to P300,000 once the bill becomes a law.
On the other hand, first-time offenders may be granted probation under the measure of humanitarian reasons.
“Deadbeat fathers should be made to own up to their responsibilities by imposing stringent penalties,” Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte said, the principal author of the said bill. His co-authors include Reps. Eric Go Yap (Benguet) and Edvic Yap and Jeffrey Soriano of party-list ACT-CIS.
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In the Philippines, the story of a negligent parent is common–solo parents who are seeking financial support, never-ending arguments of how much should be the child support, and so on. But unfortunately, the utmost legal action a solo parent can do is to just file a Barangay report.
Oftentimes, due to lack of financial resources to push through a case, parents have no choice but to leave it at just that. “Hayaan mo na,” solo parents say until the lack of financial support becomes normal
Cong. Duterte also mentioned that most parents who neglect their child and fail to give consistent child support are men. All the authors of the bill also pointed out that under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act (Republic Act 9262), withholding child support is classified as “economic abuse” and considered a crime.
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Specific amount of child support, jail time for repeat offenders
Aside from the presence (or absence) and consistency of child support, one debacle solo parents face is the amount of support given by the other parent.
In this new bill, child support amount was addressed through a specific computation of the amount of child support. According to House Bill 4807, there is a financial threshold or floor for the amount of child support. The amount should not be lower than P6,000 a month, which is equivalent to P200 a day.
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In the computation of the child support, the combined monthly net incomes of both parents shall be considered and shall be divided proportionately between the two.
The bill is quite specific because it states that it is not only required to give consistent child support, but also the right amount based on law. Any negligent parent who fails to give consistent and insufficient financial support can face the consequences –monetary fine and if the offense is done repeatedly, jail time.
What is National Child Support Program (NCSP)?
The four authors of House Bill 4807 also propose the establishment of a National Child Support Program or NCSP to specifically assist the enforcement of child support claims. The said organization will also help in locating absentee parents and expedite the collection of child support from them.
NCSP, once established, will facilitate the implementation of the Expanded Solo Parents Act (RA 11861) and will help reduce the cases of child support claims in court.
Cong. Duterte also cited a recent study by the World Health Organization, which states that about 15 million Filipinos, mostly women, are solo parents.
READ RELATED STORIES FOR SOLO PARENTS:
- How to Get a Solo Parent ID and the Benefits That Come With It
- Solo Parents May Soon Be Entitled to Discounts On Healthcare And Tuition
- GUIDE: Benefits for Solo Parents Under Expanded Law
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