Section 2Sec./Art. 2

Declaration of Policy.- The State values the dignity of every human being and guarantees full respect for human rights. A child has the same general human rights as an adult, with specific rights that recognize specific needs. As such, the State shall protect the rights and ensure access to assistance, including proper care, nutrition and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to the development of every child.

The State shall uphold the best interests of the child, including and especially the child with distinct vulnerabilities, such as the neglected, stateless, and abandoned or deserted, by proactively and diligently inquiring into the facts of the child's birth and parentage. It recognizes the generally accepted thrust of international law to reduce and prevent statelessness. It shall protect any child with unknown parents by ensuring a natural-born citizen status consistent with our Constitution, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other relevant instruments, and the generally accepted principles of international law. The State shall also adopt measures to ensure that support services are provided to foundlings and acts inimical to their welfare are penalized.

In furtherance of the State policy to create one body to exercise all powers and functions relating to alternative child care, State services relating to the protection and welfare of foundlings shall be placed under the National Authority for Child Care (NACC).