Short answer. Yes. The Solo Parents' Welfare Act includes as a solo parent any family member who takes on the role of head of the family because the child's parents have died, abandoned the child, disappeared, or been absent for a long time. Republic Act No. 11861 (2022) later widened this definition.
What the law says
Any family member who assumes the responsibility of head of family as a result of the death, abandonment, disappearance or prolonged absence of the parents or solo parent
RA 8972, Section 3 — Who Counts As Solo Parent. Read the full provision →
The category built for relatives
The Act does not limit solo-parent status to the child's own mother or father. One of its categories is "Any family member who assumes the responsibility of head of family as a result of the death, abandonment, disappearance or prolonged absence of the parents or solo parent." This is the provision written for the grandmother, aunt, uncle, or older sibling who ends up running the household because the parents are gone. The trigger is that the parents have died, walked away, disappeared, or been absent for a long time, and a relative has stepped into the role of head of the family in their place.
A second route for anyone giving sole care
There is a broader catch-all as well: the Act also recognises "Any other person who solely provides parental care and support to a child or children." A relative who does not neatly fit the head-of-family wording may still qualify under this one if they are the sole source of parental care and support for the child. Between the two categories, the law reaches most situations where a child is being raised by someone other than a parent — but the common thread is that the caregiver is genuinely carrying the child alone, not merely helping out.
Who counts as a child, and when it ends
The benefits attach to caring for a child as the Act defines one: living with and dependent on the solo parent, unmarried, unemployed, and not more than eighteen years old — or older, if incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical disability. So a relative raising an adult grandchild who supports himself would generally fall outside it. The Act also states that once the caregiver's circumstances change and they are no longer left alone with that responsibility, eligibility for the benefits ends. The status reflects the present reality, not a permanent label.
The definition has since been widened
Read the categories above as the floor. Republic Act No. 11861 (2022), the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, broadened who counts as a solo parent, eased the length-of-service requirement for the parental leave, and added benefits — including a discount and value-added-tax exemption — that the older text does not contain. A relative caregiver's entitlements today are set by that newer law. The status and benefits are claimed through a Solo Parent Identification Card issued by the city or municipal social welfare office, which is where the caregiver presents proof of the qualifying situation.