The philippines on june 22 deposited its instrument of ratification to the child support convention, formally known as the “Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance,” at the netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in The Hague.

Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya handed the instrument of ratification signed by President Rodrigo Duterte to Mr. Jules van Eijndhoven, head of the MFA Treaties Division, in the presence of Laura Martinez-Mora, Diplomatic Secretary of the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

“The ratification of the HCCH Child Support Convention is among the last acts with international law significance of President Duterte, and it reinforces the commitment of the Philippine Government to protect and promote the welfare of children, through an efficient way of collecting support from parents based overseas,” Malaya said.

The Child Support Convention is a global treaty that sets down the procedures to facilitate the processing and enforcement of international child-support cases.

The Philippine envoy explained that the ratification of the convention means that children can receive faster their financial support from absentee parents, Filipinos or foreigners, residing in other countries that are also signatories to the Convention.

There are 44 Contracting States to the Convention, including the United States and European countries.

“The Philippines is the only country in Asia which has ratified the Convention, and the HCCH looks forward to other countries in the region to accede to the Convention,” Martinez-Mora said.

The Supreme Court promulgated on May 31, 2021 the Rules on Action for Support and Petition for Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Decisions or Judgments on Support (AM 21-03-02-SC).

The Rules also provide for an expedited procedure for support and petitions for recognition and enforcement of foreign decisions within the framework of the HCCH Child Support Convention.

These Rules will serve as implementing guidelines for the Convention.

The Convention will enter into force for the Philippines on Oct. 1, 2022. The Department of Social Welfare and Development has been designated the Central Authority to discharge the duties under the Convention.

The Philippines became a member of the HCCH in 2010. Out of the 39 HCCH Conventions, the Philippines is a Contracting State to four, namely the Intercountry Adoption Convention, Child Abduction Convention, Apostille Convention and Service Convention.