FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to establish a National Strategic Missing Children Recovery Program which 
will aid in returning these children to the care and protection of their parents or legal guardians. 
Children receive protection and care not only from their respective families but most 
especially from the State. Article 14, Section 3, Paragraph 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states 
that the Filipino children have the right to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and 
special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions 
prejudicial to their development. 
Because of the ills of tlie society, numerous children experience exploitation, violence and 
abuse. There are child laborers, street cluldren and child rape victims. There are government 
agencies that look into these cases. The Council for the Welfare of the Children is the agency that 
overseas the children's protection, welfare and development in the Philippines. It has sectoral panels 
or task forces which focus on the five major areas of the Philippine Plan of Action for Children 
(PPAC) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): family care and alternative parental 
arrangements; basic health, nutrition, social security and safe environment; basic education, leisure, 
recreation and cultural activities; protection of children in especially difficult circumstances; and, 
fundamental civil rights. 
A high number of children are separated from their families for reasons such as calamities 
and forced and involuntary disappearance. Yet, there is no specialized agency that oversees missing 
children cases. 
This measure seeks to answer this need through the establishment of a missing children 
recovery program. The program will be under the Council for the Welfare of Missing Children with 
the creation of a sixth sectoral panel, the Sectoral Panel on Missing Children. 
The Sectoral Panel shall establish and operate a national resource center and information 
clearinghouse. Its functions include coordinating public and private programs which locate, recover 
or reunite missing children with their parents or legal guardians and establishing and operating a 
national missing children telephone hotline. 
To ensure that the provisions of the Act are properly carried out, five million pesos shall be 
allocated to the Sectoral Panel on Missing Children for the first year of implementation. After which, 
the Sectoral Panel shall be included in the budget of the Council for the Welfare of Children in the 
General Appropriations Act. 
With the passage of this measure, more children will be reunited with their families where 
they can continue to grow under their protection and care. 
In view of the foregoing, the urgent passage of this bill is sought. 
2 
/ 
? 
LOREN L ~ R D A  
Senator 


"7 
&i 26 ? I' 
FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
FIRST REGULAR SESSION 
1 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL STRATEGIC MISSING CHILDREN 
RECOVERY PROGRAM, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION. 1. Short Title - This Act shall known as the "National Strategic 
Missing Children Recovery Program Act of 2007." 
SECTION. 2. Declaration pf Principle - The State reiterates its responsibility to 
protect the welfare of children especially in the wake of the following developments, 
namely: 
1. Each year, hundreds of children are abducted or removed from the protection 
and care of their parents or legal guardians with such parents or legal 
guardians' consent, under circumstances which place these children in grave 
danger; 
2. Many of these children are never reunited with their families; 
3. Often there are no clues to the whereabouts of these children; 
4. Many missing children are at risk of both physical harm and sexual 
exploitation; 
5. In many cases, parents and local law enforcement officials, have neither the 
expertise not the resources to mount expanded search efforts; 
6. Abducted children are frequently moved from one locality to another, 
requiring the cooperation and coordination of both local and national law 
enforcement efforts; and 
7. On frequent occasions, law enforcement authorities quickly exhaust all leads 
in missing children cases, and require assistance from distant communities 
where the child may be located. 


SECTION. 3. Definition of Terms - For the purpose of this Act, 
1. The term "missing child" shall refer to any individual less than 18 years of 
age whose whereabouts are unknown to such individual's parents or legal 
guardian if; 
0 
a. the circumstances surrounding such individual's disappearance 
indicate that such individual may possibly have been removed by 
another from the protection and care of such individual's parents or 
legal guardian without such parents or legal guardian's consent; or 
b. the circumstances of the case strongly indicate that such individuals is 
likely to be abused or sexually exploited; 
' 
2. The term "Council" shall refer to the Council for the Welfare of Children; 
3. The term "Chairperson" shall refer to the Chairperson of the Sectoral Panel 
on Missing Children of the Council for the Welfare of Children of the 
Department of Social Welfare an Development; and 
4. The term "Sectoral Panel" shall refer to the Sectoral Panel on Missing 
Children. 
SECTION. 4. Creation of the Sectoral Panel on Missing Children. 
1. A sixth sectoral panel, the Sectoral Panel on Missing Children, shall be 
established at the Council for the Welfare of Children. The Sectoral panel 
shall be the primary unit in the Council that shall assist law enforcement 
agencies in the prompt resolution of cases involving missing children 
, 2. The Sectoral Panel shall adhere to the rules and regulations governing the 
operation and administration of the Council. 
SECTION. 5. Duties and Functions of the Sectoral Panel. 
The Sectoral Panel on Missing Children shall: 
1. Establish and operate a national resource center and information 
clearinghouse designed to: 
d 
a. provide technical assistance to national and local governments, 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals in 
locating and recovering missing children; 
b. coordinate public and private programs which locate, recover, or 
reunite missing children with their parents or legal guardyam; 
c. disseminate information about innovative programs, services, and 
legislation on missing children; and, 
, 2. Establish and operate a national missing children telephone hotline by which 
individuals may report information regarding the location of any missing 
child, or request information pertaining to procedures necessary. to reunite 
such child with the child's parents or legal guardian; 


3. Annually conduct national incidence studies to determine the actual number 
of children reported missing, the number of children who are victims of 
abduction by strangers and the number of children who are recovered each 
year. 
4. Analyze, compile, publish, and disseminate an annual summary of recently 
completed researches, and national and local demonstration projects relating 
to missing children with particular emphasis on: 
a. Effective models of national and local agencies for locating missing 
children; 
b. Effective educational methods designed to promote community 
awareness of the problem to prevent the abduction and sexual 
exploitation of children; and 
c. Effective programs which provide counseling and treatment to 
families of missing children or to the children who have been victims 
of abduction or sexual exploitation; 
SECTION. 6. Duties and Functions of the Chairperson 
1. The Chairperson shall: 
a. issue such rules as the Chairperson considers necessary or appropriate 
to carry out the duties and functions of the Sectoral Panel on Missing 
Children; 
b. prepare, subject to the review and approval of tile Technical 
Management Committee, an annual comprehensive plan for 
facilitating cooperation and coordination among all agencies and 
organizations with responsibilities related to missing children; 
c. provide adequate staff and agency resources which are necessary to 
properly carry out the responsibilities of the Sectoral Panel; 
2. The Chairperson shall provide grants to or enter into contracts with other 
government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations, 
private corporations, and NGOs, pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 of 
this Act. 
3. The Chairperson shall receive and manage funds from external resources 
including donations, grants and endowments for the implementation of its 
programs pursuant to the provisions of Section 5 of Act 
SECTION. 7. Additional Members to the Council Board - The Council Board 
shall have as additional members the Philippine National Police and the National 
Bureau of Investigation or their duly authorized representatives. 
SECTION. 8. Grants. 
1. The Chairperson is hereby authorized to make grants to private corporation’s 
government agencies or NGOs, or combinations thereof for research 
demonstration projects or service programs designed to: 
a. Educate parents, children, and local communities in ways to prevent 
the abduction and sexual exploitation of children; 


b. Provide information to assist in the locating the recovery of missing 
children; 
c. Aid communities in the collection of materials which would be useful 
in the identification of missing children; 
d. Increase knowledge of and develop effective treatment pertaining to the 
psychological consequences, on the family of the missing child; 
e. Collect detailed date on the actual investigation practices utilized by 
law enforcement agencies in missing children’s cases. 
2. In considering grant applications, the Executive Director shall give priority to 
applicants who have the proven tack record or experience in 
a. Locating missing children or locating and reuniting missing children 
b. Providing other services to missing children or their families; or 
c. Conducting research relating to missing children. 
with their parents or legal guardians; 
d 
SECTION. 9. Criteria for Grants - Subject to the review and approval of the 
Technical Management Committee, the Chairperson shall establish annual research, 
demonstration, and service program priorities for making grants and ‘contracts 
pursuant to section 8 of this Act. 
SECTION. 10. Appropriations - To carry out the provisions of this Act, Five 
Million Pesos (P 5,000,000.00) shall be appropriated to the Sectoral Panel under the 
General Appropriations for the first year of implementation. Thereafter, such amount as 
may be necessary to carry out this purpose shall be including in the budget of the 
Council for the Welfare of Children in the General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION. 11. Separability of Provisions - if any provision of this Act or the 
application of such provision to any person or circumstances is declared 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the application of such provision to other 
persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such declaration. 
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SECTION. 12. Repealing Clause - All laws, presidential decrees, executive 
orders, rules and regulations that are contrary to the Provisions of this Act are hereby 
repealed, amended and modified accordingly. 
SECTION. 13. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,