Mary Jane Veloso and single mothers

I THINK one aspect of Mary Jane Veloso’s dilemma has been neglected. Where is the father of the two children? I have heard a lot about the family and seen the children, but not a word about the father. It seems as if single motherhood is becoming far too acceptable in the Philippines. If the father of the children is working and contributing to the upkeep of his children, Mary Jane would likely not have had to go to the recruiters who so endangered her.

It seems to me as if the Philippines is becoming the poster child for deadbeat dads. After I met many women raising children without the father I contacted the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). PAO officials told me they are ready to enforce the law on deadbeat dads and the fathers can either support their children or go to jail. They said the problem was that few women help them enforce the law.

So that the same thing does not happen to other women, it should be made known that fathers must support their children, even if the parents are not married or the father is married to a woman other than the children’s mother.

The PAO enforces the law and represents poor women at no cost. Those who need PAO help may contact: Public Attorney’s Central Office, 4th & 5th Floors DOJ Agencies Building, NIA Road corner East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

Hotline: (02)929-9436 local 106/107 (office hours), local 159 (after office hours)

Email: [email protected]

Go to the PAO! It does not cost anything if your income is under P13,000 per month! The father must support his children; whether he is married to the children’s mother or not does not matter, and neither does it matter that he has other children or married to another woman.

—ROWLAND LANE ANDERSON,

[email protected]