Presidential decree no.

603

Presidential Decree No. 603, otherwise known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code and
issued in December 1974, legally defines special categories of youths, including youthful
offenders, and directs the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) to provide
comprehensive services to assist in youth development. It was signed by the President
Ferdinand E. Marcos.

TITLE I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Article 1.  Declaration of Policy. – The Child is one of the most important assets of the nation.
Every effort should be exerted to promote his welfare and enhance his opportunities for a
useful and happy life.

Article 2. "The Child and Youth Welfare Code" It shall apply to persons below twenty-one years
of age except those emancipated in accordance with law. “Child” or “minor” or “youth” as used
in this Code, shall refer to such persons.

Article 3. Rights of the Child. – All children shall be entitled to the rights herein set forth without
distinction as to legitimacy or illegitimacy, sex, social status, religion, political antecedents, and
other factors.

      (1) Every child is endowed with the dignity and worth of a human being from the moment of
his conception, as generally accepted in medical parlance, and has, therefore, the right to be
born well.

      (2) Every child has the right to a wholesome family life that will provide him with love, care
and understanding, guidance and counselling, and moral and material security.

      The dependent or abandoned child shall be provided with the nearest substitute for a home.

      (3) Every child has the right to a well-rounded development of his personality to the end
that he may become a happy, useful and active member of society.
 TITLE II

CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE HOME

Art. 17. Joint Parental Authority. – The father and mother shall exercise jointly just and
reasonable parental authority and responsibility over their legitimate or adopted children. In
case of disagreement, the father’s decision shall prevail unless there is a judicial order to the
contrary.

Art. 19. Absence or Death of Parents. – Grandparents and in their default, the oldest brother or
sister who is at least eighteen years of age, or the relative who has actual custody of the child,
shall exercise parental authority in case of absence or death of both parents, unless a guardian
has been appointed in accordance with the succeeding provision.

Art. 21. Dependent, Abandoned or Neglected Child. – The dependent, abandoned or neglected
child shall be under the parental authority of a suitable or accredited person or institution that
is caring for him as provided for under the four preceding articles, after the child has been
declared abandoned by either the court or the Department of Social Welfare.

TITLE III

CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND EDUCATION

Art. 71. Admission to Schools. – The state shall see to it that no child is refused admission in
public schools. All parents are required to enroll their children in schools to complete, at least,
an elementary education.

Art. 72. Assistance. – To implement effectively the compulsory education policy, all necessary
assistance possible shall be given to parents, specially indigent ones or those who need the
services of children at home, to enable the children to acquire at least an elementary
education.

TITLE IV

CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE CHURCH

Art. 79. Rights of the Church. – The State shall respect the rights of the Church in matters
affecting the religious and moral upbringing of the child.

Art. 81. Religious Instruction. – The religious education of children in all public and private
schools is a legitimate concern of the Church to which the students belong.
 TITLE V

CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE COMMUNITY

Art. 87. Council for the Protection of Children. – Every barangay council shall encourage the
organization of a local Council for the Protection of Children and shall coordinate with the
Council for the Welfare of Children and Youth in drawing and implementing plans for the
promotion of child and youth welfare.

TITLE VI

CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE SAMAHAN

Art. 106. Duties of the Samahan. – The Samahan shall:

      (1) Prevent the employment of children in any kind of occupation or calling which is harmful
to their normal growth and development;

      (2) Forestall their exploitation by insuring that their rates of pay, hours of work and other
conditions of employment are in accordance not only with law but also with equity;

      (3) Give adequate protection from all hazards to their safety, health, and morals, and secure
to them their basic right to an education;

      (4) Help out-of-school youth to learn and earn at the same time by helping them look for
opportunities to engage in economic self-sufficient projects;

      (5) To coordinate with vocational and handicraft classes in all schools and agencies in the
barangay, municipality or city to arrange for possible marketing of the products or articles
made by the students; and

      (6) Provide work experience, training and employment in those areas where the restoration
and conservation of our natural resources is deemed necessary.

Art. 107. Employment of Children Below Sixteen Years. – Children below sixteen years of age
may be employed to perform light work which is not harmful to their safety, health or normal
development and which is not prejudicial to their studies.

TITLE VII
 CHILD AND YOUTH WELFARE AND THE STATE

Art. 117. Classifications of Child and Youth Welfare Agencies. – Public and private child welfare
agencies providing encouragement, care, and protection to any category of children and youth
whether mentally gifted, dependent, abandoned, neglected, abused, handicapped, disturbed,
or youthful offenders, classified and defined as follows, shall be coordinated by the Department
of Social Welfare:

      (1) A child-caring institution is one that provides twenty-four resident group care service for
the physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being of nine or more mentally gifted, dependent,
abandoned, neglected, handicapped or disturbed children, or youthful offenders.

      (2) A detention home is a twenty-four hour child-caring institution providing short term
resident care for youthful offenders who are awaiting court disposition of their cases or transfer
to other agencies or jurisdiction.

      (3) A shelter-care institution is one that provides temporary protection and care to children
requiring emergency reception as a result of fortuitous events, abandonment by parents,
dangerous conditions of neglect or cruelty in the home, being without adult care because of
crisis in the family, or a court order holding them as material witnesses.

      (4) Receiving homes are family-type homes which provides temporary shelter from ten to
twenty days for children who shall during this period be under observation and study for
eventual placement by the Department of Social Welfare.

      (5) A nursery is a child-caring institution that provides care for six or more children below six
years of age for all or part of a twenty-four hour day, except those duly licensed to offer
primarily medical and educational services.

      (6) A maternity home is an institution or place of residence whose primary function is to give
shelter and care to pregnant women and their infants before, during and after delivery.

      (7) A rehabilitation center is an institution that receives and rehabilitates youthful offenders
or other disturbed children.

      (8) A reception and study center is an institution that receives for study, diagnosis, and
temporary treatment, children who have behavioral problems for the purpose of determining
the appropriate care for them or recommending their permanent treatment or rehabilitation in
other child welfare agencies.

      (9) A child-placing agency is an institution or person assuming the care, custody, protection
and maintenance of children for placement in any child-caring institution or home or under the
care and custody of any person or persons for purposes of adoption, guardianship or foster
care.

Art. 118. License Required. – No private person, natural or juridical, shall establish, temporarily
or permanently, any child welfare agency without first securing a license from the Department
of Social Welfare.

TITLE VIII

SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF CHILDREN

Art. 142. Petition for Involuntary Commitment of a Child: Venue. – The Department of Social
Welfare Secretary or his authorized representative or any duly licensed child placement agency
having knowledge of a child who appears to be dependent, abandoned or neglected, may file a
verified petition for involuntary commitment of said child to the care of any duly licensed child
placement agency or individual.

Art. 147. Duty of Fiscal. – The provincial or city fiscal shall appear for the State, seeing to it that
there has been due notice to all parties concerned and that there is justification for the
declaration of dependency, abandonment or neglect.

Art. 154. Voluntary Commitment of a Child to an Institution. – The parent or guardian of a

dependent, abandoned or neglected child may voluntarily commit him to the Department of
Social Welfare or any duly licensed child placement agency or individual subject to the
provisions of the next succeeding articles.

TITLE IX
COUNCIL FOR THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH

Art. 208. Offices to Coordinate with the Council for Welfare of Children. – The following offices
and agencies shall coordinate with the Council for the Welfare of Children and Youth in the
implementation of laws and programs on child and youth welfare:

      (1) Department of Justice

      (2) Department of Social Welfare

      (3) Department of Education and Culture

      (4) Department of Labor

      (5) Department of Health

      (6) Department of Agriculture

      (7) Department of Local Government and Community Development;

      (8) Local Councils for the Protection of Children; and such other government and private
agencies which have programs on child and youth welfare.

Existing as well as proposed programs of the above-named agencies as well as other

government and private child and youth welfare agencies as may be hereafter created shall be
implemented by such agencies: Provided, That, with the exception of those proposed by the
Local Councils for the Protection of Children, all long-range child and youth welfare programs
shall, before implementation, be indorsed by the agencies concerned to their respective
departments, which shall in turn indorse the same to the Council for the Welfare on Children
and Youth, for evaluation, cooperation and coordination.

Reference :

https://pcw.gov.ph/presidential-decree-no-603-the-child-and-youth-welfare-code/