The Solo Parents’ Ordinance of Davao City was passed by the City Council on Tuesday.
Authored by Councilor Trisha Ann Villafuerte, chairperson of the Committee on Women and Children, the ordinance defined solo parents as unmarried, separated, annulled, widower and widowed individual, and any person, whether male or female, falling under the enumeration provided under Section 4, Republic Act No. 11861 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), who has taken the sole responsibility of parenthood.
Section 4 of the ordinance imposes upon itself, its agencies, and all other government agencies within the city, the obligation to provide the solo parents and their children the welfare services and special privileges and benefits that the law has enumerated such as livelihood assistance, counseling, parent effectiveness, critical incident stress debriefing, among others.
Section 6 mandates employers not to discriminate against any solo parent employee concerning terms and conditions of employment on account of his/her status.
In addition to the welfare services, privileges, and benefits provided by law, the ordinance provided solo parents who are residents of the City and/or their children privileges and benefits that include a 10% discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) on baby’s milk, food, and micronutrient supplements, and sanitary diapers purchased, duly prescribed medicines, vaccines, and other medical supplements purchased from the birth of the child or children until six years of age of a solo parent who is earning less than P250,000 annually; additional death benefit or burial assistance of P1,000 aside from the amount of P2,000 already being given by the city government of Davao; in addition to leave privileges under existing laws, a forfeitable and noncumulative parental leave of not more than seven working days with pay every year shall be granted to any solo parent employee, regardless of employment status; and a P1,000 monthly subsidy.
The ordinance also mandates the creation of a Solo Parent Office, which shall be under the supervision of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSSDO), and the creation of the Solo Parent Division to undertake a city-wide registration of all the solo parents and their children in the 182 barangays of the city.
Solo parents who need assistance under the said ordinance are advised to visit the CSSDO and fill up the application form.
According to Villafuerte, there are a total of 3,300 solo parents registered in Davao City as of 2024.
“Dili sayon mahimong solo parents. Ang solo parents dili siya mama lang, ang papa pud ug lola ug lolo nga nabinlan sa ilang mga anak,” Villafuerte said.
