Repealed. Republic Act No. 8552 was expressly repealed in its entirety by Republic Act No. 11642 (2022), whose Section 62 states that RA 8552 is repealed. Domestic adoption is no longer a court petition: RA 11642 created an administrative process under the National Authority for Child Care. The text below is reproduced as originally enacted, for reference only — do not follow the procedure it describes.
Text of the provision
Sec. 5. Location of Unknown Parent(s). – It shall be the duty of the Department or the child-placing or child-caring agency which has custody of the child to exert all efforts to locate his/her unknown biological parent(s). If such efforts fail, the child shall be registered as a foundling and subsequently be the subject of legal proceedings where he/she shall be declared abandoned.
Domestic Adoption Act of 1998, Republic Act No. 8552 (1998). Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified word-for-word against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.
What this section means
Whoever has custody — the Department or the child-placing or child-caring agency — must exert all efforts to find the child’s unknown biological parents. If that fails the child is registered as a foundling and then goes through legal proceedings to be declared abandoned.
Related provisions
Cases citing this section
- Authorities on this section will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.