By: Rey Angelo Gonzaga, ACTS 

Parenting is hard work, especially when one has to do it alone. 

Fortunately for solo parents in the Philippines, the government recognizes this and has stepped up to ensure support for this often-overlooked sector of society.  

Republic Act (RA) No. 11861, or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, aims to provide benefits and privileges specifically for solo parents and their children. The legislation has lapsed into law without the President's  signature, in accordance with a Constitutional provision  that a Congress-approved bill becomes a law after 30 days if the President does not act on it either by enactment or veto. 

The legislation is expected to impact an estimated 14 to 15 million solo parents in the country, 95 percent of whom are women, as reported by the Health Department of the University of the Philippines. 

These solo parents face a myriad challenges in the support and care of their children, and even more so with the constantly rising costs of products and services.  

The passage of RA 11861 is thus a timely and relevant response to these challenges. As its title suggests, the Act expands the definition of a "solo parent” to include the following:  

• A grandparent, family member, or even non-relative who helps raise the child/children who has/have lost one or both natural parents;
• The spouse, partner, or family member of an overseas Filipino worker engaged in the low/semi-skilled labor category and who has been living abroad for an uninterrupted period of at least 12 months.

The broadened meaning of the term recognizes those who have assumed the role of a solo parent for a child who may not be biologically their own. 

The Act aims primarily to improve the plight of solo parents by providing additional benefits and privileges that will help ensure equal opportunities for their families and children. 

Here are some of the salient benefits granted to solo parents under RA 11861:  

• Seven (7) days parental leave with pay granted to any solo parent employee, regardless of employment status, who has rendered at least six (6) months of service 
• Monthly cash subsidy of Php 1,000 for solo parents earning less than the minimum wage 
• 10% discount on baby’s milk and sanitary diapers; food and micronutrient supplements; duly prescribed medicines, vaccines, and other medical supplements from the birth of the child until he or she is 6-years old 
• Exemption from value-added tax (VAT) for solo parents earning less than Php 250,000 a year 
• Scholarship grants for solo parents who are enrolled in institutions of basic, higher and technical vocational skills education 
• Full school scholarship for one child of a solo parent in institutions of basic, higher, and technical vocational skills education 
• Automatic coverage under the National Health Insurance Program

Raising a child alone is indeed infinitely harder in every sense. From attending to all the daily needs of an infant, to caring for a sick child, needing to stay longer at work, dealing with an emergency, or tackling the varied mundane decisions throughout the day, a solo parent does it solo. This law is a victory for them, leveling the playing field for them and the children they care for and raise, and strengthening them in the fight for a better life.