Short answer. RA 8972 still exists, and Section 1 still gives it that title, but it is no longer the whole picture. Republic Act No. 11861, the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2022, amended it — broadening who qualifies as a solo parent and revising the benefits — so RA 8972's original text alone can give an outdated eligibility rule.
What the law says
This Act shall be known as the "Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000."
RA 8972, Section 1 — Solo Parents Welfare Act. Read the full provision →
What Section 1 itself covers
Section 1 is a title clause and nothing more — it states that this Act shall be known as the "Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000". It does not define who a solo parent is, list any benefit, or set any procedure; those come in later sections of RA 8972. A title section like this exists so the statute has an official short name that later laws, agencies, and courts can refer back to without repeating the whole text.
Why RA 8972 is now only half the story
In 2022, Republic Act No. 11861, the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, amended RA 8972 and repealed or replaced several of its sections outright. The expansion broadened who counts as a solo parent — for example, extending the definition beyond the original list of circumstances — and revised the leave, discount, and support benefits available. Because both laws share the same subject matter, a document, article, or old certificate that cites only "RA 8972" may be describing eligibility rules or benefit amounts that Republic Act No. 11861 has since changed.
What this means if you are checking your own eligibility
If you are trying to work out whether you qualify as a solo parent, or what a solo parent identification card actually entitles you to, treat RA 8972's original 2000 text as a starting point rather than the final answer. The name of the law — the Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000 — has not changed, but its substance has been expanded and revised by Republic Act No. 11861, so the current benefits and the current list of qualifying circumstances should be checked against that later law rather than assumed from the original title alone.
Why the title clause is still worth reading first
Even though Section 1 does no more than name the statute, it is still the right starting point for anyone trying to trace how the law developed, because every later amendment — including Republic Act No. 11861 — is written as a change to "the Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000" rather than as a brand-new, separately named law. Recognizing that RA 8972 is the base statute, and RA 11861 the amendment layered on top of it, is what keeps a reader from treating either one alone as the complete, current rule.