Inclusive legal adoption for the LGBTQIA+ community 

The recent  Pride March encouraged adoption and alternative forms of child care from eligible members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender , Queer (LGBTQ+)  community.

“In the end, it’s all about love and acceptance. Because  #lovewins and it should win, all the time,” Atty. Gaby Concepcion, Executive Director of the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) said during the  4th LoveL4ban Pride Ph Festival held last  Saturday, June 27, 2026 at the Diliman campus of the University of the Philippines.

Concepcion encouraged the public to embrace a broader understanding of what constitutes a family.

“Most of us in the general population have the traditional notion of what a family is supposed to be. There is a mother, a father, a sister, and a brother—a typical family setup,” said Atty. Concepcion

She emphasized that families come in different forms and should not be confined to traditional structures alone.

“Not all families have cis mothers and fathers.  Not all families have 2 parents. There can be solo parents, LGBTQIA+ parents, as well as LGBTQIA+ adoptees and fosters,” Concepcion said.

Cisgender mothers and fathers are parents whose gender identities align with the sexes they were assigned at birth (a cisgender woman and a cisgender man).

While they have historically formed the basis of the traditional “nuclear family,” the evolving concept of family and modern parenting standards have shifted to recognize diverse family structures.

Full joint adoption and same-sex marriage remain barred by the current Family Code, which requires a couple to be legally married to adopt jointly.

Broadening these family rights requires legislative action from Congress.

Only single LGBTQIA+ individuals are permitted to legally adopt and be listed as the child’s sole adoptive parent

“Let us look at families from a bigger, broader, and different perspective. There is no single face, form, or experience of a family. There are families composed of parents and children, solo-parent households, and families formed through adoption and alternative child care,” Concepcion  said,

Concepcion said that there is no discrimination  in adoption  as NACC actively supports equal access to family-based care, wherein adoption approvals are based on the capacity to provide a safe, loving home,  financial capability and the best interest of the child,  regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

While an LGBTQ+ person adopts as a solo petitioner, the  same-sex partner cannot be legally recognized on the adoption decree.

Adopters must be at least 25 years old and at least 16 years older than the child to be adopted.

Applicants must be Filipino citizens. Foreign nationals can apply only if they have resided in the Philippines for at least five contiguous years and maintain that status.

The Philippines shifted from judicial to administrative adoptions through the enactment of R.A.  No. 11642 in 2022, transferring domestic adoption cases from the courts to the NACC.

Some 300,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their families, allies, participated in the Pride March last weekend  at the UP Diliman campus.

LoveL4ban  featured four stages built around the Academic Oval with the main stage  placed in the space fronting the Oblation Plaza, with additional satellite stages at Palma Hall, at the Sunken Garden, and at Melchor Hall for the various booths and activities.

“We believe equality and human rights are essential to true honor and excellence. The values that we see stamp along with our university logo. These values are inseparable. Excellence loses its meaning when they exclude others, just as honor loses its purpose when we deny dignity to any individual,” UP Diliman Chancellor  Atty, Carlo Vistan said.

Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, New York where individuals protested against police harassment and persecution commonly experienced by LGBTQ+ community.

The first Metro Manila Pride was held in 1996 with 30 organizations in attendance.

The highlight of the festival was the Pride March, which kicked off past 1 p.m. along University Avenue.  Floats, marching bands, dancers, students, LGBTQIA+ couples, and groups of friends filled the campus in a vibrant display of solidarity and celebration.

Participants carried banners with varied messages: “Pride is a protest”, ”Stop the Attacks,” Pride not Prejudice.”, “Don’t hide your pride,” “Pride keeps people alive,” “Lahat ay pantay, Lahat ay Mahalaga.”

The event is part of the campaign for the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE), Equality Bill, or the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB).

The bill aims to set into law measures to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their SOGIE.