TheLawphi

lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion

NEW RULEONADOPTI
ON

RULEONADOPTI
ON

A.DOMESTI
CADOPTI
ON

Sect
ion1.Appl
i
cabi
l
ityoft
heRul
e.–Thi
sRul
ecov
erst
hedomest
icadopt
ionofFi
l
ipi
nochi
l
dren.

Section2.Objecti
ves.–(a)Thebesti nt
erestsofthechil
dshal lbet heparamountconsi der
ati
on
i
nal lmattersrel
ati
ngtohiscare,custodyandadopt i
on,inaccor dancewithPhil
ippinelaws,the
UnitedNat i
ons(UN)Conv enti
onont heRightsoftheChild,UNDecl arati
ononSoci alandLegal
Principl
esRelati
ngtothePr ot
ect
ionandWel f
areofChildrenwithSpeci alRef
erencetoFost er
PlacementandAdopt i
on,Nati
onallyandInter
nati
onall
y,andt heHagueConv enti
onont he
Protecti
onofChi l
drenandCooper ati
oninRespectofInter-countryAdoption.

(b)TheStat
eshal
lprov
ideal
ternat
iveprotect
ionandassist
ancethr
oughfost
ercar
eoradopti
on
forever
ychil
dwhoisafoundl
ing,negl
ected,orphaned,
orabandoned.Tot
hisend,
theSt
ate
shall
:

(i
)ensur ethateverychil
dremainsunderthecareandcust odyofhisparent
sandi sprov
ided
wit
hl ove,care,underst
andingandsecuri
tyfort
hef ull
andharmoni ousdevelopmentofhis
personalit
y.Onlywhensuchef f
ort
sproveinsuf
fi
cientandnoappr opri
ateplacementoradopti
on
wit
hint hechild’
sextendedf ami
lyi
savail
ableshal
l adopt
ionbyanunr el
atedpersonbe
considered.

(i
i)saf
eguar
dthebi
ologi
cal
par
ent
sfr
om maki
nghast
ydeci
sionsi
nrel
i
nqui
shi
ngt
hei
rpar
ent
al
author
it
yovert
hei
rchil
d;

(
ii
i)pr
eventt
hechi
l
dfr
om unnecessar
ysepar
ati
onf
rom hi
sbi
ologi
cal
par
ent
s;

(
iv)conductpubl
i
cinf
ormat
ionandeducat
ional
campai
gnst
opr
omot
eaposi
ti
veenv
ironment
f
oradoption;

(v
)ensurethatgover
nmentandpr i
vat
esectoragenci
eshavethecapaci
tytohandl
eadopt
ion
i
nquir
ies,pr
ocessdomest i
cadopti
onappl
icat
ionsandoff
eradopti
on-r
elat
edservi
cesi
ncl
udi
ng,
butnotli
mitedto,
parentprepar
ati
onandpost-
adopti
oneducati
onandcounseli
ng;

(
vi)encouragedomesti
cadopti
onsoastopreser
vethechi
ld’
sident
it
yandcul
turei
nhisnati
ve
l
and,andonl ywhent
hisisnotavai
l
abl
eshal
lint
er-
count
ryadopti
onbeconsi
deredasalast
r
esort;and
(
vii
)protectadopt
ivepar
ent
sfr
om at
tempt
stodi
stur
bthei
rpar
ent
alaut
hor
it
yandcust
odyov
er
t
heiradoptedchil
d.

Anyv olunt
aryorinvol
untar
yterminati
onofpar ent
alauthori
tyshallbeadminist
rati
vel
yor
j
udiciall
ydeclar
edsoast oestabl
ishthestatusofthechildas“legall
yavail
ableforadopti
on”
andhi scustodytr
ansfer
redtotheDepartmentofSoci alWelfar
eandDev el
opmentort oanyduly
l
icensedandaccr edit
edchil
d-pl
acingorchil
d-cari
ngagency ,whichenti
tyshallbeauthor
izedt
o
takestepsforthepermanentplacementofthechi l
d.

Sect
ion3.Def
ini
ti
onofTer
ms.–Forpur
posesoft
hisRul
e:

(a)“
Chil
d”isaper
sonbel
owei
ght
een(
18)y
ear
sofageatt
het
imeoft
hef
il
ingoft
hepet
it
ionf
or
adopti
on.

(b)“Achildlegal
l
yavail
ableforadoption”ref
erstoachi
ldwhohasbeenv ol
untari
lyor
i
nv ol
untari
lycommit
tedt otheDepar t
mentort oadulyl
i
censedandaccredi
tedchild-
placi
ngor
chil
d-cari
ngagency,
freedoft heparentalaut
horit
yofhi
sbiol
ogi
calpar
ents,orincaseof
resci
ssionofadopti
on,hisguardianoradopt er
(s)
.

(c)“Volunt
ari
lycommit
tedchi
l
d”isonewhoseparent
sknowi
ngl
yandwi
l
li
ngl
yrel
i
nqui
sh
parentalaut
hori
tyov
erhiminfav
oroftheDepar
tment.

(d)“I
nvol
untaril
ycommi t
tedchi
ld”isonewhoseparent
s,knownorunknown,hav ebeen
permanentl
yandj udi
cial
l
ydeprivedofpar
ental
authori
tyoverhi
m duetoabandonment;
substant
ial
,continuousorrepeatednegl
ectandabuse;ori
ncompetencetodischar
geparent
al
responsi
bil
i
ties.

(
e)“Foundl
ing”ref
erst
oadesertedorabandonedinfantorchil
dwhoseparent
s,guardi
anor
r
elat
ivesar
eunknown;orachil
dcommi tt
edtoanor phanageorchari
tabl
eorsimil
arinst
it
uti
on
wi
thunknownf act
sofbir
thandparent
ageandr egi
steredintheCi
vi
lRegist
erasa“foundli
ng.
”

(f
)“Abandonedchild”r
efer
stoonewhohasnopr operparent
alcareorguar
dianshi
porwhose
parentshavedesert
edhimforaper
iodofatl
eastsix(6)cont
inuousmonthsandhasbeen
j
udicial
lydecl
aredassuch.

(g)“Dependentchi
ld”r
efer
stoonewhoi swithoutaparent,
guardi
anorcust
odi
anoronewhose
parents,
guardianorot
hercust
odianforgoodcausedesirestoberel
i
evedofhi
scar
eand
custodyandisdependentuponthepubli
cforsupport
.

(
h)“Neglect
edchil
d”i
sonewhosebasi
cneedshavebeendel
iber
atel
ynotatt
endedt
oor
i
nadequatel
yat
tendedto,
phy
sical
l
yoremoti
onal
ly
,byhispar
entsorguar
dian.

(
i)“
Phy
sical
negl
ect
”occur
swhent
hechi
l
dismal
nour
ished,
il
l-
cladandwi
thoutpr
opershel
ter
.

(j
)“Emot
ional
neglect”exi
stswhenachi l
disraped,
seduced,maltr
eat
ed,expl
oit
ed,ov
erwor ked
ormadetowor kundercondit
ionsnotconduci
vetogoodhealthormadetobegi nt
hest r
eetsor
publi
cpl
aces,orpl
acedinmor aldanger
,orexposedtodrugs,
alcohol
,gambli
ng,pr
osti
tuti
on
andot
herv
ices.

(k)“Chil
d-pl
acementagency”ref
erstoanagencydulyli
censedandaccredit
edbythe
Departmenttoprovi
decompr ehensi
vechil
dwelfar
eservicesincl
udi
ng,butnotl
imi
tedto,
receiv
ingappli
cat
ionsforadopti
on,eval
uat
ingtheprospecti
veadopti
veparent
sandprepari
ng
t
headopt ionhomestudyreport.

(
l)“
Child-
caringagency”r
eferstoanagencydul
yli
censedandaccredi
tedbytheDepar
tment
t
hatprovides24-hourr
esidenti
alcar
eservi
cesf
orabandoned,
orphaned,negl
ect
edor
v
olunt
ar i
l
ycommi t
tedchi
ldren.

(
m)“
Depar
tment
”ref
erst
otheDepar
tmentofSoci
alWel
far
eandDev
elopment
.

(n)“DeedofVol untaryCommi tment

”referstothewrittenandnot ari
zedinst
rumentr eli
nqui
shing
parentalauthori
tyandcommi t
ti
ngthechildtothecareandcust odyoft heDepar t
mentexecut ed
bythechi l
d’sbiol
ogicalparent
sorintheirabsence,ment ali
ncapacit
yordeat h,bythechil
d’s
l
egal guardi
an, t
obewi tnessedbyanaut hori
zedrepresentati
veoftheDepar t
mentaf ter
counselingandot herservi
ceshavebeenmadeav ail
ablet oencouragethebiologi
cal par
entsto
keept hechild.

(o)“
ChildStudyReport
”refer
stoastudymadebyt hecourtsoci
alworkerofthechil
d’sl
egal
stat
us,placementhi
stor
y,psychol
ogi
cal
,soci
al,
spirit
ual
,medical
,et
hno-cul
turalbackgr
ound
andthatofhisbiol
ogi
calfamil
yneededindet
erminingthemostappropri
ateplacementforhi
m.

(p)“
HomeSt udyReport
”ref
erstoastudymadebythecourtsoci
alworkerofthemoti
vat
ionand
capaci
tyoft
heprospecti
veadopti
veparent
stopr
ovideahomet hatmeetstheneedsofachi
ld.

(
q)“Supervi
sedtr
ial
cust
ody”r
efer
stotheperi
odoftimeduri
ngwhichasocial
workerov
ersees
t
headjustmentandemoti
onal
readi
nessofbothadopter
sandadopteei
nstabi
li
zi
ngthei
rfi
li
al
r
elat
ionshi
p.

(r
)“LicensedSocialWorker
”refer
stoonewhopossessesadegr eei
nbachelorofsci
encein
socialworkasami nimum educati
onalrequi
rementandwhohaspassedthegovernment
l
icensureexaminati
onforsocialworker
sasr equi
redbyRepubl
i
cActNo.4373.

(s)“Simulat
ionofbi
rth”i
sthetamper
ingoftheci
vi
lregist
ryt
omakeitappearint
hebirt
h
recordsthatacert
ainchil
dwasborntoapersonwhoi snothi
sbi
ologi
calmother
,thuscausi
ng
suchchildtolosehi
st r
ueident
it
yandstat
us.

(
t)“
Biol
ogi
cal
Par
ent
s”r
efert
othechi
l
d’smot
herandf
atherbynat
ure.

(u)“Pre-
Adopti
onServi
ces”refertopsycho-soci
alservi
cesprovi
dedbyprofessi
onally-
tr
ained
socialworker
softheDepartment ,
thesocialserv
icesunit
soflocalgov
ernments,priv
ateand
gov er
nmenthealt
hfaci
li
ti
es,Fami l
yCourts,li
censedandaccredit
edchil
d-car
ingandchi l
d-
placementagenci
esandot herindi
vidual
sorent i
ti
esinvol
vedinadopti
onasaut hor
izedbyt he
Department.
(v)“Residence”meansaper son’
sact ualst
ayinthePhili
ppinesf orthr
ee(3)conti
nuousyears
i
mmedi atel
ypr i
ortothefil
i
ngofapet it
ionforadopti
onandwhi chismaintai
neduntilt
he
adopt i
ondecr eeisenter
ed.Tempor aryabsencesf orpr
ofessional,busi
ness,heal
th,
or
emer gencyreasonsnotexceedi ngsixty(60)daysinone(1)y eardoesnotbreakthecontinui
ty
requirement.

(w)“
Ali
en”r
eferst
oanyperson,
notaFil
ipi
nociti
zen,
whoenter
sandremai
nsi
nthePhi
l
ippi
nes
andi
sinpossessi
onofavali
dpasspor
tortrav
eldocument
sandvisa.

Sect
ion4.Whomayadopt
.–Thef
oll
owi
ngmayadopt
:

(1)AnyFi l
i
pinociti
zenofl egal age,inpossessi
onoff ull
civi
l capaci
tyandlegalrights,
ofgood
mor alcharact
er,hasnotbeenconv ict
edofanycrimei nvolv
ingmor al t
urpi
tude;whoi s
emot i
onall
yandpsy chologi
callycapableofcaringforchildr
en, atl
eastsixt
een( 16)yearsolder
thantheadopt ee,andwhoi si naposi ti
ontosupportandcar eforhi
schi l
dreninkeepingwith
themeansoft hefami l
y.Ther equirementofa16- y
eardi f
ferencebet weentheageoft he
adopterandadopt eemaybewai vedwhent headopteristhebi ol
ogicalpar
entoft headopteeor
i
st hespouseoft headopt ee’spar ent;

(2)Anyalienpossessi ngthesamequal ifi

cati
onsasabov e-statedforFi li
pinonat i
onals:Prov i
ded,
Thathiscountryhasdi pl
omaticrel
ati
onswi ththeRepubl icoft hePhi l
ippines, t
hathehasbeen
l
ivi
ngint hePhil
ippi
nesf oratl
eastthree(3)continuousy earspr i
ort othef il
ingoft hepeti
tionf or
adopti
onandmai ntainssuchr esi
denceunt i
ltheadopt i
ondecr eeisent ered, t
hathehasbeen
cert
if
iedbyhisdi pl
omat i
corconsularoffi
ceoranyappr opriategov ernmentagencyt ohavet he
l
egalcapacitytoadopti nhi
scountry,andthathisgov ernmental lowst headopt eet oent
erhi s
countryashisadopt edchi l
d.Provi
ded,furt
her,Thatther equirement sonr esidencyand
cert
if
icati
onoftheal ien’squali
fi
cati
ont oadoptinhiscount rymaybewai vedf orthefoll
owi ng:

(i
)aformerFil
ipi
nocit
izenwhoseekst
oadoptar
elat
ivewi
thi
nthef
our
th(
4th)degr
eeof
consangui
nit
yoraff
ini
ty;or

(
ii
)onewhoseekst
oadoptt
hel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
dofhi
sFi
l
ipi
nospouse;
or

(
ii
i)onewhoismarr
iedt
oaFil
ipi
nociti
zenandseekstoadoptjoi
ntl
ywithhi
sspousear
elat
ive
wi
thinthef
ourt
h(4t
h)degr
eeofconsangui
nit
yoraff
ini
tyoftheFi
li
pinospouse.

(3)Theguar
dianwithrespectt
othewardaft
ert
het
ermi
nat
ionoft
heguar
dianshi
pand
clear
anceofhisf
inanci
alaccount
abi
li
ti
es.

Husbandandwi
feshal
lj
oint
lyadopt
,excepti
nthef
oll
owi
ngcases:

(
i)i
fonespouseseekst
oadoptt
hel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
dofonespousebyt
heot
herspouse;
or

(i
i)i
fonespouseseekstoadopthi
sownill
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
d:Pr
ovi
ded,
howev
er,
Thatt
heot
her
spousehassigni
fi
edhisconsentt
her
eto;
or

(
ii
i)i
fthespousesar
elegal
l
ysepar
atedf
rom eachot
her
.
I
ncasehusbandandwif
ejoint
lyadoptoronespouseadoptst
hei
l
legi
ti
mat
echi
l
doft
heot
her
,
j
ointpar
ent
alaut
hor
it
yshall
beexer ci
sedbythespouses.

Sect
ion5.Whomaybeadopt
ed.–Thef
oll
owi
ngmaybeadopt
ed:

(1)Anyper
sonbeloweight
een(
18)year
sofagewhohasbeenvoluntar
il
ycommi t
tedt
othe
Depart
mentunderArt
icl
es154,
155and156ofP.D.No.603orj
udici
all
ydecl
aredavai
l
abl
efor
adopti
on;

(
2)Thel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
dofonespouse,
byt
heot
herspouse;

(
3)Anil
l
egi
timat
echi
l
d,byaqual
i
fiedadopt
ert
orai
set
hest
atusoft
hef
ormert
othatof
l
egi
ti
macy;

(4)Apersonoflegalager
egar
dlessofciv
ilst
atus,
if,
pri
ortotheadopt
ion,sai
dper
sonhasbeen
consi
stentl
yconsider
edandtr
eatedbytheadopter
sast hei
rownchil
dsinceminor
it
y;

(
5)Achi
l
dwhoseadopt
ionhasbeenpr
evi
ousl
yresci
nded;
or

(6)Achil
dwhosebi
ological
oradopti
vepar
ent
shavedied:
Provi
ded,Thatnopr
oceedi
ngsshal
l
beini
ti
atedwi
thi
nsi
x( 6)monthsfr
om thet
imeofdeat
hofsaidpar
ents.

(
7)Achi
l
dnotot
her
wisedi
squal
i
fiedbyl
awort
heser
ules.

Sect
ion6.Venue.–Thepet i
ti
onforadopt
ionshall
befi
ledwi
tht
heFami
l
yCour
toft
hepr
ovi
nce
orci
tywheretheprospect
iveadopt
ivepar
entsresi
de.

Secti
on7.ContentsofthePet i
ti
on.–Thepet i
ti
onshallbev eri
fi
edandspecif
ical
lystat
eatthe
headi
ngoft hei
nit
iat
orypleadingwhet herthepeti
ti
oncont ainsanappl
icat
ionforchangeof
name,recti
fi
cat
ionofsimulatedbirth,
v ol
untar
yorinvoluntarycommitmentofchil
dren,or
decl
arati
onofchil
dasabandoned, dependentorneglected.

1)I
ftheadopt
eri
saFi
l
ipi
noci
ti
zen,
thepet
it
ionshal
lal
l
eget
hef
oll
owi
ng:

(
a)Thej
uri
sdi
cti
onal
fact
s;

(b)Thatt hepet i
tioneri
sofl egalage,inpossessionoff ul
lcivi
lcapacit
yandl egal r
ights;isof
goodmor al character
;hasnotbeenconv i
ctedofanycr i
mei nvol
vingmor alturpi
tude; i
s
emot ionall
yandpsy chological
l
ycapabl eofcar i
ngforchil
dren;isatleastsixteen(16)y ears
olderthant headopt ee,unlesstheadopt eristhebiologi
calparentoftheadopt eeori sthe
spouseoft headopt ee’
spar ent;andisinaposi ti
ontosuppor tandcaref orhischil
dr enin
keepingwi tht hemeansoft hefamilyandhasunder gonepre-adopti
onser vi
cesasr equir
edby
Section4ofRepubl i
cActNo.8552.

2)I
ftheadopt
eri
sanal
i
en,
thepet
it
ionshal
lal
l
eget
hef
oll
owi
ng:

(
a)Thej
uri
sdi
cti
onal
fact
s;

(
b)Sub-
par
agr
aph1(
b)abov
e;
(
c)Thathi
scount
ryhasdi
plomat
icr
elat
ionswi
tht
heRepubl
i
coft
hePhi
l
ippi
nes;

(d)Thathehasbeencer t
if
iedbyhisdipl
omaticorconsularof
ficeoranyappr
opr
iat
e
governmentagencytohavethelegalcapaci
tytoadoptinhiscountr
yandhisgov
ernmental
l
ows
theadopteetoenterhi
scountryashisadoptedchi
ldandr esi
dethereper
manent
lyasan
adoptedchil
d;and

(
e)Thathehasbeenl
iv
ingi
nthePhil
ippi
nesforatl
eastt
hree(
3)conti
nuousyear
spri
ortothe
f
il
ingoft
hepeti
ti
onandhemaint
ainssuchresi
denceunt
ilt
headopt
iondecreei
sent
ered.

Therequir
ement
sofcer
ti
fi
cati
onoft
heal
i
en’
squal
i
ficat
iont
oadopti
nhi
scount
ryandof
resi
dencymaybewai
vedift
heali
en:

(i
)isaformerFi
l
ipi
nociti
zenwhoseekst
oadoptar
elat
ivewi
thi
nthef
our
thdegr
eeof
consangui
nit
yoraf
fini
ty;
or

(
ii
)seekst
oadoptt
hel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
dofhi
sFi
l
ipi
nospouse;
or

(
ii
i)i
smarr
iedt
oaFili
pinocit
izenandseekst
oadoptjoi
ntl
ywithhi
sspousear
elat
ivewi
thi
nthe
f
ourt
hdegr
eeofconsanguini
tyoraff
ini
tyoft
heFi
li
pinospouse.

3)I
ftheadopteristhelegal
guardi
anoftheadoptee,
thepet
it
ionshall
allegethatguar
dianshi
p
hadbeenter
mi natedandtheguardi
anhadclear
edhisfi
nanci
alaccountabil
i
ties.

4)I
ftheadopt
eri
smar
ri
ed,
thespouseshal
lbeaco-
pet
it
ionerf
orj
ointadopt
ionexcepti
f:

(
a)onespouseseekst
oadoptt
hel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
doft
heot
her
,or

(b)i
fonespouseseekst
oadopthi
sowni
l
legi
ti
mat
echi
l
dandt
heot
herspousesi
gni
fi
edwr
it
ten
consentt
her
eto,or

(
c)i
fthespousesar
elegal
l
ysepar
atedf
rom eachot
her
.

5)I
ftheadopt
eeisafoundl
ing,t
hepetit
ionshall
allegetheentr
ieswhichshouldappeari
nhis
bi
rt
hcerti
fi
cat
e,suchasnameofchild,dateofbi
rth,pl
aceofbirth,
ifknown;sex,nameand
ci
ti
zenshi
pofadopti
vemotherandfather,
andthedat eandplaceoftheirmarri
age.

6)Ift
hepeti
ti
onpray
sforachangeofname,
itshal
lal
sost
atet
hecauseorr
easonf
ort
he
changeofname.

I
nal
lpet
it
ions,
itshal
lbeal
l
eged:

(a)Thefi
rstname,sur
nameornames,ageandresi
denceoftheadopt
eeasshownbyhi
srecor
d
ofbir
th,
baptismal
orfoundl
i
ngcert
if
icat
eandschoolrecor
ds.

(
b)Thatt
headopt
eei
snotdi
squal
i
fiedbyl
awt
obeadopt
ed.

(
c)Thepr
obabl
eval
ueandchar
act
eroft
heest
ateoft
headopt
ee.
(d)Thefi
rstname,
sur
nameornamesbywhi
cht
headopt
eei
stobeknownandr
egi
ster
edi
nthe
Civi
lRegi
stry
.

Acert
if
icati
onofnon-
forum shoppi
ngshal
lbei
ncl
udedpur
suantt
oSect
ion5,
Rul
e7oft
he
1997RulesofCi
vilPr
ocedure.

Sect
ion8.Rect
if
icati
onofSimul
atedBir
th.–I
ncaset
hepet
it
ional
soseeksr
ect
if
icat
ionofa
si
mulatedofbi
rt
h, i
tshal
lal
l
egethat:

(
a)Pet
it
ioneri
sappl
yi
ngf
orr
ect
if
icat
ionofasi
mul
atedbi
rt
h;

(b)Thesimul
ati
onofbirthwasmadepr iort
othedat
eofeff
ecti
vi
tyofRepubl
icActNo.8552
andtheappli
cat
ionforrect
if
icat
ionofthebi
rthr
egi
str
ati
onandthepet
it
ionforadopt
ionwer
e
fi
ledwit
hinfi
veyear
sf r
om saiddate;

(
c)Thepet
it
ionermadet
hesi
mul
ati
onofbi
rt
hfort
hebesti
nter
est
soft
headopt
ee;
and

(
d)Theadopt
eehasbeenconsi
stent
lyconsi
der
edandt
reat
edbypet
it
ionerashi
sownchi
l
d.

Secti
on9.Adopt
ionofafoundl
i
ng,anabandoned,
dependentornegl
ectedchi
ld.–I
ncasethe
adopteei
safoundl
ing,
anabandoned,
dependentornegl
ectedchi
ld,
thepeti
ti
onshal
lal
lege:

(
a)Thef
act
sshowi
ngt
hatt
hechi
l
disaf
oundl
i
ng,
abandoned,
dependentornegl
ect
ed;

(b)Thenamesofthepar
ent
s,ifknown,andthei
rresi
dence.I
fthechi
l
dhasnoknownorl
i
ving
parent
s,t
henthenameandresidenceoftheguar
dian,
ifany;

(c)Thenameoft
hedulyl
i
censedchi
l
d-pl
acementagencyori
ndi
vi
dual
underwhosecar
ethe
chil
disi
ncust
ody;and

(
d)Thatt
heDepar
tment
,chi
l
d-pl
acementorchi
l
d-car
ingagencyi
saut
hor
izedt
ogi
vei
tsconsent
.

Sect
ion10.Changeofname.–I
ncaset
hepet
it
ional
sopr
aysf
orchangeofname,
thet
it
leor
capt
ionmustcontai
n:

(
a)Ther
egi
ster
ednameoft
hechi
l
d;

(
b)Al
i
asesorot
hernamesbywhi
cht
hechi
l
dhasbeenknown;
and

(
c)Thef
ull
namebywhi
cht
hechi
l
dist
obeknown.

Sect
ion11.Annexest
othePet
it
ion.–Thef
oll
owi
ngdocument
sshal
lbeat
tachedt
othepet
it
ion:

A.Bi
rt
h,bapti
smalorfoundl
i
ngcerti
fi
cate,ast
hecasemaybe,
andschool
recor
dsshowi
ngt
he
name,ageandresi
denceoftheadoptee;

B.Af
fi
dav
itofconsentoft
hef
oll
owi
ng:

1.Theadopt
ee,
ift
en(
10)y
ear
sofageorov
er;
2.Thebiol
ogical
parentsoft
hechi
l
d,ifknown,orthel
egal
guardi
an,ort
hechil
d-pl
acement
agency,
child-
car
ingagency,
ort
hepropergovernmenti
nst
rument
ali
tywhichhaslegal
cust
ody
ofthechil
d;

3.Thel
egi
ti
mateandadopt
edchi
l
drenoft
headopt
erandoft
headopt
ee,
ifany
,whoar
eten(
10)
year
sofageorov
er;

4.Thei
l
legi
ti
mat
echi
l
drenoft
headopt
erl
i
vingwi
thhi
m whoar
eten(
10)y
ear
sofageorov
er;
and

5.Thespouse,
ifany
,oft
headopt
eroradopt
ee.

C.Chi
l
dst
udyr
epor
tont
headopt
eeandhi
sbi
ologi
cal
par
ent
s;

D.Ift
hepetit
ioneri
sanal i
en,
cer
ti
fi
cati
onbyhi sdipl
omati
corconsul
arof
ficeoranyappr
opr
iat
e
gover
nmentagencyt hathehast
helegalcapacit
ytoadopti
nhiscount
ryandthathi
s
gover
nmental l
owstheadopteet
oenterhiscountryashi
sownadoptedchildunl
essexempt
ed
underSect
ion4(2);

E.Homest udyrepor
tontheadopter
s.I
ftheadopt
erisanali
enorresi
dingabr
oadbutquali
fi
ed
toadopt,
thehomest udyrepor
tbyafor
eignadopt
ionagencydul
yaccredit
edbyt
heInter
-
Countr
yAdopt i
onBoard;and

F.Decreeofannul
ment,nul
li
tyorl
egal
separ
ati
onoft
headopt
eraswel
last
hatoft
hebi
ologi
cal
parent
softheadoptee,
ifany.

Secti
on12.OrderofHear
ing.–Ifthepeti
ti
onandattachmentsar
esuff
ici
enti
nfor
m and
substance,
thecour
tshal
lissueanorderwhichshal
lcontai
nthefol
l
owing:

(1)t
her egi
ster
ednameoft
headopteeint
hebir
thcer
ti
fi
cateandt
henamesbywhi
cht
he
adopteehasbeenknownwhichshal
lbest
atedi
nthecapt
ion;

(
2)t
hepur
poseoft
hepet
it
ion;

(
3)t
hecompl
etenamewhi
cht
headopt
eewi
l
lusei
fthepet
it
ioni
sgr
ant
ed;

(4)t
hedateandpl aceofhear i
ngwhi chshallbesetwi thi
nsi x(
6)monthsfrom thedat eoft he
i
ssuanceoft heorderandshalldirectt
hatacopyt hereofbepubli
shedbeforethedat eof
heari
ngatleastonceaweekf orthreesuccessiveweeksi nanewspaperofgener al
circulati
onin
theprovi
nceorcitywher ethecourtissit
uated;Provided,thati
ncaseofapplicati
onforchange
ofname, t
hedatesetf orheari
ngshal l
notbewi thinfour(4)monthsaftert
hel astpublicati
onof
thenoti
cenorwi t
hinthir
ty(30)day spri
ortoanel ecti
on.

Thenewspapershal
lbesel
ect
edbyr
aff
leundert
hesuper
visi
onoft
heExecut
iveJudge.

(5)adirect
ivetothesocial
workerofthecour
t,thesocialser
viceof
fi
ceofthelocalgover
nment
unitoranychild-
placi
ngorchi
ld-
cari
ngagency,ortheDepar t
menttoprepareandsubmitchi
ld
andhomest udyreport
sbefor
ethehearingi
fsuchr eport
shadnotbeenat t
achedtothepeti
ti
on
duet
ounav
ail
abi
l
ityatt
het
imeoft
hef
il
ingoft
hel
att
er;
and

(6)adir
ecti
vetothesoci
alworkeroft
hecourtt
oconductcounsel
i
ngsessionswit
hthe
biol
ogi
calparent
sonthematterofadopt
ionoftheadopt
eeandsubmitherrepor
tbef
oret
he
dateofheari
ng.

Atthediscret
ionoft
hecour t
,copi
esoftheorderofheari
ngshallal
sobefur
nishedtheOff
iceof
theSoli
cit
orGeneralt
hroughtheprov
inci
alorcit
yprosecutor
,theDepar
tmentandthebiol
ogical
parent
soft headopt
ee,ifknown.

I
fachangeinthenameoft
headopt
eei
spr
ayedf
ori
nthepet
it
ion,
not
icet
otheSol
i
cit
or
Gener
alshal
lbemandat
ory
.

Secti
on13.Chi l
dandHomeSt udyReports.–Inprepari
ngt hechi l
dstudyrepor
tont headopt ee,
theconcernedsoci alworkershal
lveri
fywiththeCivi
lRegistr
yt hereali
denti
tyandregistered
nameoft headopt ee.Ifthebir
thoftheadopteewasnotr egisteredwiththeCivi
lRegistr
y, i
t
shallbetheresponsibil
ityoft
hesocialworkertoregi
stertheadopt eeandsecureacer ti
ficateof
foundli
ngorlateregistrati
on,
asthecasemaybe.

Thesocialworkershall
est
abli
shthatthechi
l
di slegal
lyavail
abl
eforadopt
ionandthe
documentsinsuppor tt
her
eofarevali
dandauthentic,
thattheadopt
erhassincer
eint
ent
ions
andthattheadoptionshal
li
nuretothebesti
nterestsofthechil
d.

I
ncaset headopterisanali
en,t
hehomest udyrepor
tmustshowthelegalcapaci
tyt
oadoptand
thathi
sgovernmentallowstheadopteetoent
erhiscountr
yashi
sadoptedchildi
ntheabsence
ofthecert
if
icat
ionrequir
edunderSecti
on7(b)ofRepubli
cActNo.8552.

I
faf
tert
heconductoft
hecasestudi
es,thesoci
alwor
kerf
indsthatt
herearegr
oundst
odeny
t
hepeti
ti
on,heshal
lmaket
heproperrecommendati
ontothecourt
,fur
nishi
ngacopyt
her
eoft
o
t
hepeti
ti
oner.

Section14.Hear i
ng.–Uponsat i
sfact
oryproofthatt
heorderofhearinghasbeenpubli
shedand
j
urisdicti
onalrequi
rementshavebeencompl i
edwi t
h,thecourtshal
lproceedt
ohearthepetit
ion.
Thepet i
ti
onerandtheadopteemustpersonall
yappearandt heformermusttest
if
ybeforethe
presidingjudgeofthecourtonthedatesetforheari
ng.

Thecourtshall
veri
fyfr
om thesocialwor keranddeterminewhethert
hebiologicalparenthas
beenproperl
ycounsel
edagainstmaki nghast ydeci
sionscausedbystrai
noranxi etytogiveup
thechi
l
d; ensur
ethatal
lmeasurest ostrengthenthefamilyhavebeenexhausted;andascer t
ain
i
fanyprolongedstayofthechi
ldinhisownhomewi llbeini
micalt
ohiswelfareandi nter
est.

Section15.SupervisedTrialCustody.–Beforei ssuanceoft hedecreeofadoption,thecourt

shallgivetheadoptertri
alcustodyoftheadopt eef oraperiodofatleastsix(6)mont hswithi
n
whicht heparti
esareexpect edtoadjustpsychol ogical
l
yandemot i
onall
ytoeachot herand
establi
shabondi ngrelat
ionship.Thetri
alcustodyshal lbemoni t
oredbyt hesocialworkerofthe
court,theDepartment,orthesocialservi
ceoft hel ocalgov
er nmentunit
,orthechild-pl
acement
orchild-car
ingagencywhi chsubmi t
tedandpr epar edthecasestudies.Duri
ngsai dperiod,
t
empor
arypar
ent
alaut
hor
it
yshal
lbev
est
edi
ntheadopt
er.

Thecourtmay,motupropr
iooruponmoti
onofanypar t
y,reducetheperi
odorexemptthe
part
iesi
fitf
indst
hatthesameshallbef
orthebesti
nterestsoftheadopt
ee,st
ati
ngthereasons
ther
efor
.

Anal
i
enadopt
erhowev
ermustcompl
etet
he6-
mont
htr
ial
cust
odyexceptt
hef
oll
owi
ng:

a)aformerFil
ipi
nocit
izenwhoseekst
oadoptar
elat
ivewi
thi
nthef
our
th(
4th)degr
eeof
consangui
nit
yoraff
ini
ty;or

b)onewhoseekst
oadoptt
hel
egi
ti
mat
echi
l
dofhi
sFi
l
ipi
nospouse;
or

c)onewhoismarriedt
oaFil
i
pinocit
izenandseekstoadoptjoi
ntl
ywithhisorherspouset
he
l
atter
’sr
elat
ivewi
thint
hef
ourt
h(4th)degreeofconsangui
nit
yoraff
ini
ty.

I
ft hechil
disbelowseven( 7)yearsofageandisplacedwit
ht hepr
ospectiveadopterthr
ougha
pre-adopti
onplacementauthorit
yissuedbytheDepartment
,thecourtshallor
derthatthe
prospectiv
eadoptershall
enjoyallthebenef
itst
owhi cht
hebiologi
calparenti
sent i
tl
edfrom t
he
datet headopt
eeisplacedwi t
hhim.

Thesoci
alworkershall
submitt
othecour
tar
epor
tont
her
esul
toft
het
ri
alcust
odywi
thi
ntwo
weeksaf
teri
tsterminati
on.

Secti
on16.Decr eeofAdopti
on.–Ifthesuper vi
sedt ri
alcustodyissati
sfactor
ytothepart
ies
andthecourtisconv i
ncedfr
om thetr
ialcustodyr eportandtheev i
denceadducedthatthe
adopti
onshallredoundtothebestint
erestsoft headopt ee,
adecr eeofadopti
onshallbeissued
whichshal
ltakeef f
ectasofthedatetheoriginalpetit
ionwasf i
ledevenifthepeti
ti
onersdie
befor
eitsi
ssuance.

Thedecr
eeshal
l
:

A.St
atet
henamebywhi
cht
hechi
l
dist
obeknownandr
egi
ster
ed;

B.Or
der
:

1)theCl
erkofCourtt
oissuet
otheadopt
eracer
ti
fi
cat
eoff
inal
i
tyuponexpi
rat
ionoft
he15-
day
regl
ementar
yperi
odwithi
nwhicht
oappeal;

2)theadoptertosubmitacerti
fi
edt ruecopyofthedecr
eeofadopt i
onandthecer
ti
ficat
eof
fi
nali
tytotheCivi
lRegi
str
arwher ethechildwasorigi
nal
l
yr egi
ster
edwithi
nthi
rt
y(30)daysfrom
recei
ptofthecerti
fi
cat
eoffinal
ity.Incaseofchangeofname, t
hedecreeshal
lbesubmittedto
theCivi
lRegist
rarwher
ethecour tissui
ngt hesameissi
tuated.

3)t
heCi
vi
lRegi
str
aroft
hepl
acewher
etheadopt
eewasr
egi
ster
ed:

a.toannot
ateontheadoptee’
sori
ginalcer
ti
fi
cateofbi
rt
hthedecr
eeofadopt
ionwi
thi
nthi
rt
y
(30)daysf
rom r
ecei
ptofthecert
if
icateoffi
nal
it
y;
b.toissueacer t
if
icateofbi r
thwhichshall
notbearanynot ati
onthatitisaneworamended
cert
if
icateandwhi chshal l
show, amongothers,thefol
l
owi ng:
regi
strynumber ,
dateof
regi
strat
ion,nameofchi ld,sex,dat
eofbirt
h,placeofbirt
h,nameandci tizenshipofadopt
ive
motherandf ather
, andthedat eandplaceoftheirmarr
iage,whenapplicable;

c.t
osealt
heori
ginal
cert
if
icat
eofbir
thintheciv
ilr
egi
str
yrecor
dswhi
chcanbeopenedonl
y
uponor
deroft
hecourtwhichi
ssuedthedecreeofadopt
ion;
and

d.t
osubmitt
othecourti
ssui
ngthedecreeofadopt
ionpr
oofofcompl
i
ancewi
thal
lthe
for
egoi
ngwit
hint
hir
tydaysfr
om recei
ptoft
hedecree.

Iftheadopt eei
safoundli
ng,t
hecourtshall
ordertheCivi
lRegist
rarwheret
hefoundl
i
ngwas
registered,
toannot
atethedecreeofadopti
onont hefoundl
ingcert
if
icat
eandanewbi rt
h
certif
icateshal
lbeorder
edpreparedbytheCivi
lRegist
rari
naccordancewit
hthedecree.

Secti
on17.BookofAdoptions.–TheClerkofCourtshal
lkeepabookofadopti
onsshowingt
he
dateofi
ssuanceofthedecreeineachcase,compl
iancebytheCivi
lRegi
str
arwit
hSecti
on
16(B)
(3)andall
inci
dent
sar i
singaf
tert
heissuanceofthedecree.

Section18.Confidenti
alNatureofProceedingsandRecor ds.–Al l
hearingsinadopti
oncases,
aftercompliancewiththejuri
sdi
cti
onal r
equirement sshallbeconfidenti
alandshall
notbeopen
tothepubl i
c.Allr
ecords,booksandpaper srelati
ngt otheadoptioncasesi nthef
il
esofthe
court,t
heDepar tment,oranyotheragencyori nsti
tuti
onpar t
ici
pati
ngi ntheadopti
on
proceedingsshallbekeptstri
ctl
yconfidenti
al.

Ift
hecourtfi
ndsthatthedisclosureoftheinf
ormationtoat hi
rdpersonisnecessar
yfor
secur
ityr
easonsorforpurposesconnect edwithorar i
singoutoft
headopt i
onandwi l
lbefor
thebesti
nter
estsoftheadopt ee,thecourtmay,uponpr opermoti
on,ordert
henecessary
i
nformati
ontober el
eased,restri
ctingt
hepurposesf orwhichitmaybeused.

Secti
on19.Resci
ssi
onofAdopt ionoftheAdoptee.–Thepet
it
ionshallbeveri
fi
edandfi
ledby
theadopt
eewhoi soverei
ghteen( 18)year
sofage,orwi
tht
heassistanceoftheDepar
tment,
if
heisami nor
,ori
fheisovereighteen(18)year
sofagebuti
sincapacit
ated,
byhisguar
dianor
counsel
.

Theadopti
onmayber
esci
ndedbasedonanyoft
hef
oll
owi
nggr
oundscommi
tt
edbyt
he
adopt
er:

1)repeatedphy
sical
andv
erbal
mal
tr
eat
mentbyt
headopt
erdespi
tehav
ingunder
gone
counseli
ng;

2)at
temptont
hel
i
feoft
headopt
ee;

3)sexual
assaul
torv
iol
ence;
or

4)abandonmentorf
ail
uret
ocompl
ywi
thpar
ent
alobl
i
gat
ions.

Adopt
ion,
bei
ngi
nthebesti
nter
est
soft
hechi
l
d,shal
lnotbesubj
ectt
oresci
ssi
onbyt
he
adopt
er.However
,theadopt
ermaydi
sinher
itt
headopt
eef
orcausespr
ovi
dedi
nAr
ti
cle919of
theCi
vilCode.

Sect
ion20.Venue.–Thepeti
ti
onshal
lbef
il
edwi
tht
heFami
l
yCour
toft
heci
tyorpr
ovi
nce
wheretheadopt
eeresi
des.

Secti
on21.Timewithinwhicht ofi
lepet
it
ion.–Theadoptee,i
fincapaci
tat
ed,mustf
il
ethe
peti
ti
onforresci
ssi
onorrev ocati
onofadoptionwit
hinfi
ve(5)yearsaft
erher
eachestheageof
majori
ty,
orifhewasincompet entattheti
meoft headopti
on,wit
hinfi
ve(5)y
earsaf
terrecov
ery
fr
om suchincompetency.

Secti
on22.OrdertoAnswer.–Thecourtshall
issueanorderr
equir
ingtheadver
separtyto
answerthepeti
ti
onwi t
hinfi
ft
een(
15)daysfrom recei
ptofacopyther
eof.Theorderandcopy
ofthepeti
ti
onshallbeserv
edontheadversepartyinsuchmannerasthecourtmaydirect
.

Secti
on23.Judgment
.–Ifthecourtf
indst
hatt
heall
egati
onsofthepeti
ti
onar
etr
ue,i
tshal
l
renderj
udgmentor
deri
ngtheresci
ssi
onofadopt
ion,
withorwit
houtcosts,
asj
ust
icer
equir
es.

Thecour tshallor
derthatt
hepar ental
authori
tyoft
hebiologi
calpar
entoftheadoptee,
ifknown,
orthelegal cust
odyoftheDepar t
mentshal l
berestor
ediftheadopt
eeisstil
laminoror
i
ncapacitatedanddeclarethatthereci
procalri
ght
sandobl i
gati
onsoftheadopt
erandt he
adopteet oeachothershal
l beexti
nguished.

Thecourtshal
lfurt
herdecl
arethatsuccessionalri
ght
sshall
rever
ttoit
sstat
uspri
ortoadopt
ion,
asofthedateofjudgmentofjudici
alr
escission.Vest
edri
ghtsacqui
redpr
iortoj
udi
cial
resci
ssi
onshallberespect
ed.

I
tshal
lal
soor
dert
headopt
eet
ouset
henamest
atedi
nhi
sor
igi
nal
bir
thorf
oundl
i
ngcer
ti
fi
cat
e.

Thecour tshal
lfur
theror
dertheCi
vi
lRegi
strarwher
et headopti
ondecreewasregist
eredto
cancelthenewbi r
thcert
if
icat
eoft
headopteeandreinstat
ehisori
ginalbi
rt
horfoundl
ing
cert
if
icate.

Secti
on24.Ser v
iceofJudgment .–Acer t
if
iedtruecopyoft hej
udgmentt ogetherwitha
cert
ifi
cateoff i
nali
tyi
ssuedbyt heBranchClerkoft heCour twhichrenderedthedecisionin
accordancewi ththeprecedingSect i
onshallbeser vedbyt hepeti
ti
onerupont heCivilRegi
str
ar
concernedwi thi
nthir
ty(30)day sfrom r
eceiptofthecer ti
fi
cateoffinal
ity
.TheCi v
ilRegistr
ar
shal
l f
or t
hwithentertherescissiondecreeintheregisterandsubmi tproofofcompl i
ancet ot
he
courtissuingthedecreeandt heCl er
kofCour twithinthi
rty(30)daysfrom recei
ptofthedecree.

TheCl
erkofCour
tshal
lent
ert
hecompl
i
ancei
naccor
dancewi
thSect
ion17her
eof
.

Sect
ion25.Repeal
.-Thi
ssuper
sedesRul
e99onAdopt
ionandRul
e100oft
heRul
esofCour
t.
B.I
NTER-
COUNTRYADOPTI
ON

Secti
on26.Appl
icabi
l
ity.–Thefol
l
owingsect
ionsappl
ytointer
-countr
yadopti
onofFi
l
ipi
no
chi
ldr
enbyforei
gnnational
sandFil
ipi
noci
ti
zenspermanentl
yresidi
ngabroad.

Sect
ion27.Obj
ect
ives.–TheSt
ateshal
l
:

a)consideri
nter-
count
ryadopt
ionasanal
ter
nati
vemeansofchildcar
e,i
fthechil
dcannotbe
pl
acedinaf osteroranadopt
ivef
amil
yorcannot
,inanysui
tabl
emanner,becaredfori
nthe
Phil
i
ppines;

b)ensur
ethatt
hechi
ldsubjectofint
er-
count
ryadopt
ionenj
oyst
hesamepr
otect
ionaccor
ded
tochi
ldr
enindomest
icadoption;
and

c)takeallmeasur
estoensur
ethatt
hepl
acementar
isi
ngt
her
efr
om doesnotr
esul
tini
mpr
oper
fi
nancial
gainfort
hoseinv
olv
ed.

Secti
on28.Wher etoFil
ePeti
ti
on.–Averi
fi
edpet i
ti
ontoadoptaFil
i
pinochi
l
dmaybef i
l
edbya
for
eignnati
onalorFil
i
pinoci
ti
zenper
manent l
yresi
dingabr
oadwiththeFami
lyCour
thavi
ng
j
uri
sdict
ionovertheplacewheret
hechi
ldresi
desormaybef ound.

I
tmaybef
il
eddi
rect
lywi
tht
heI
nter
-Count
ryAdopt
ionBoar
d.

Secti
on29.Whomaybeadopt ed.–Onlyachi
l
dlegal
l
yav
ail
abl
efordomest
icadopt
ionmaybe
thesubj
ectofi
nter
-count
ryadopt
ion.

Sect
ion30.Cont
ent
sofPet
it
ion.–Thepet
it
ionermustal
l
ege:

a)hi
sageandt heageoft hechildtobeadopt ed,showingthathei
satleastt
wenty-
seven(27)
year
sofageandatl eastsixteen(16)yearsolderthanthechil
dtobeadoptedatt
hetimeof
appl
icat
ion,unl
esst
hepet iti
oneristheparentbynat ur
eofthechil
dtobeadoptedorthespouse
ofsuchparent,
inwhichcaset heagedi f
ferencedoesnotapply;

b)ifmarr
ied,
thenameoft
hespousewhomustbej
oinedasco-
pet
it
ionerexceptwhent
he
adopteei
salegit
imat
echi
l
dofhisspouse;

c)thathehasthecapaci
tytoactandassumeal
lri
ghtsandresponsi
bil
i
tiesofpar
ental
author
it
y
underhisnati
onall
aws,andhasundergonet
heappropr
iat
ecounseli
ngfrom anaccr
edit
ed
counselori
nhiscount
ry;

d)t
hathehasnotbeenconv
ict
edofacr
imei
nvol
vi
ngmor
alt
urpi
tude;
e)t
hathei
sel
i
gibl
etoadoptunderhi
snat
ional
law;

f)t
hathecanprovi
dethepropercareandsuppor
tandinsti
ll
thenecessar
ymor
alv
aluesand
examplet
oallhi
schil
dren,
incl
udingthechi
ldtobeadopted;

g)thatheagreestoupholdthebasi
cri
ght
softhechil
d,asembodiedunderPhi
li
ppinelawsand
theU.N.Conv ent
ionontheRight
softheChi
l
d,andtoabidebytherul
esandregulati
onsissued
toimplementtheprovi
sionsofRepubl
i
cActNo.8043;

h)t
hathecomesf rom acountr
ywithwhicht hePhi
li
ppi
neshasdipl
omati
crel
ati
onsandwhose
governmentmaintainsasimil
arl
yauthor
izedandaccredi
tedagencyandt
hatadopt
ionofa
Fi
li
pinochil
disall
owedunderhi snati
onallaws;and

i
)thathepossessesal
lthequal
i
ficat
ionsandnoneoft
hedisqual
i
ficat
ionspr
ovi
dedi
nthi
sRul
e,
i
nRepubli
cActNo.8043andi nallot
herappl
icabl
ePhi
l
ippi
nelaws.

Secti
on31.Annexes.-Thepet
it
ionf
oradopt
ionshal
lcont
aint
hef
oll
owi
ngannexeswr
it
tenand
off
ici
all
ytr
ansl
atedinEngli
sh:

a)Bi
rt
hcer
ti
fi
cat
eofpet
it
ioner
;

b)Marri
agecont
ract
,ifmar
ri
ed,
and,
ifappl
i
cabl
e,t
hedi
vor
cedecr
ee,
orj
udgmentdi
ssol
vi
ngt
he
marr
iage;

c)Swor
nstat
ementofconsentofpet
it
ioner
’sbi
ologi
cal
oradopt
edchi
l
drenabov
eten(
10)
year
sofage;

d)Physical
,medi
calandpsychol
ogi
cal
eval
uat
ionoft
hepet
it
ionercer
ti
fi
edbyadul
yli
censed
physi
cianandpsychol
ogi
st;

e)I
ncomet axr
etur
nsoranyaut
hent
icdocumentshowi
ngt
hecur
rentf
inanci
alcapabi
l
ityoft
he
pet
it
ioner
;

f
)Pol
i
cecl
ear
anceofpet
it
ioneri
ssuedwi
thi
nsi
x(6)mont
hsbef
oret
hef
il
ingoft
hepet
it
ioner
;

g)Char
act
err
efer
encef
rom t
hel
ocal
church/
minist
er,
thepet
iti
oner’
semployerandamember
ofthei
mmedi
atecommunit
ywhohaveknownthepeti
ti
onerf
oratleastf
ive(
5)y ear
s;

h)Ful
lbodypostcar
d-si
zepi
cturesoft
hepeti
ti
onerandhi
simmedi
atef
ami
l
ytakenatl
eastsi
x
(6)monthsbef
orethefi
li
ngofthepeti
ti
on.

Secti
on32.Dut yofCourt.–Thecourt,af
terfi
ndingthatthepeti
ti
oni
ssuffi
cienti
nform and
substanceandapr opercasefori
nter
-countr
yadoption,shal
limmedi
atel
ytransmitt
hepet i
ti
on
totheInter
-Countr
yAdopt i
onBoardforappropri
ateacti
on.

Sect
ion33.Ef
fect
ivi
ty.-ThisRul
eshallt
akeef
fectonAugust22,
2002f
oll
owi
ngi
tspubl
i
cat
ion
i
nanewspaperofgener alci
rcul
ati
on.
TheLawphi
lPr
oject-Ar
ell
anoLawFoundat
ion