WELCOME ADDRESS OF MP ATTY. MAISARA DANDAMUN-LATIPH
CARE FOR ORPHANS
2nd PUBLIC CONSULTATION IN AID OF LEGISLATION
May 31, 2021| Diamond Hall, EM Manor Cotabato City
Assalaamo a’laikom Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh!
Apologies for not being with you today on this very important consultation for Maguindanao due to my mandatory Quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19.
It is an honor and privilege to welcome you all today to our 2nd CARE FOR ORPHANS PUBLIC CONSULTATION IN AID OF LEGISLATION. I would like to thank our partner “THE ASIA FOUNDATION”, together with its Senior Program Officer Ms. Noraida Chio, the speaker and facilitator Ms. Bai Shaima Baraguir and Ms. Joselle Janolo, and all of the organizers and staff from The Asia Foundation who helped us realize our event. To all of our partners and stakeholders, representing various organizations, institutions, and offices who are with us today, it is an opportunity to be working with you all for the betterment and welfare of our orphans within and outside the region. Thank you very much for gracing our momentous event.
Muslims have the duty to protect others from any kind of harm and help those who are in need such as orphans. Islam has given great importance on helping the needy and has plenty of reminders regarding the reward for helping orphans.
We appreciate everyone’s initiative in setting aside some of their time to attend our consultation today. In Sha Allah, Allah (SWT) will see our good intentions and accept our participation today as a good deed that we are doing for the sake of our orphans. Orphans are given primordial care in our religion, as well as in other religions. Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) was an orphan himself. Furthermore, the topic on orphans has been mentioned for over twenty times in the Qur’an and is also referenced in the Hadiths and Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W).
As per the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) mentioned in Saheeh Al-Bukhari:
“I, and the caretaker of the Orphan will enter Paradise together like this, (raising his forefinger and middle finger jointly, leaving no space in between.)”
One of the main sectors being served by our Office are our orphans. The Office has pioneered many initiatives in service of our orphans such as the Siyap Ko Wata-Ilo outreach program in home-based and center-based institutions within and outside the region. We also held our our 1st CARE FOR ORPHANS PUBLIC CONSULTATION IN AID OF LEGISLATION last March in Lanao del Sur. This is our move to expand the reach of our consultations to get a better picture of the status of orphans all over the BARMM region. We believe that through participative and informative consultations like these, we can improve our services, and address the concerns of orphans so that we can give them equitable solutions, programs, and opportunities.
One of the key concerns identified by our office is how there are no accredited orphanages in the BARMM. In order to address this, our office filed BTA-Bill No. 71, the “Bangsamoro Orphanage Act 2020” which would establish and regulate orphanages within the region. This shall also be the subject of our consultation today.
We conducted our 1st CARE FOR ORPHANS PUBLIC CONSULTATION IN AID OF LEGISLATION on March 20, 2021 at Lanao del Sur, and this time in Maguindanao, we want to hear from you the various issues, problems, gaps and challenges of orphans, directly from the stakeholders, partners, individuals/institutions that support them. We believe that your expertise, experience, and knowledge regarding the subject matter of this consultation will aid us in crafting responsive legislation.
I would like to end with this statement on the importance of orphans in Islam: “People who bring up orphans have great value in the sight of Allah (SWT) and will gain great reward on the day of judgement.”
Thank you so much for your presence and I look forward to the rich discussions that will happen today!
