Lola, foster mom, offers home, love to DSWD kids

She’s already 62, but, this workaholic wife/mother/grandmother/foster mother/ said that she would continue taking care of her children, grandchildren and foster children until her body would say stop.

Nila Apas of Jugan, Consolacion is one of the 28 licensed regular foster parent under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 Foster Care Program.

Since she got her license in January 2003, she has cared for eight children brought to her from the the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC), which tries to find an alternative home and family for abandoned, dependent, neglected and abused children from 0 to 6 years of age.

Apas has always been close with children.

She recalled taking care of her younger siblings until they got married and started their own families.

“I really like children. When I was four years old, I watched over my younger siblings. I was a small child and when I carried my siblings their feet would reach the floor,” she said in Cebuano.

Apart from selling vegetables in front of their home, she also cooks rice-based delicacies like puto and viand.

When she hears a child in the neighborhood is crying, she will give out food for free just to pacify the child.

“I don’t want to hear a child crying,” she said.

Apas decided to become a foster parent after most of her children had grown up and had their own families.

She said it was her cousin Dionesia Canete, who’s a foster parent herself, introduced her to the foster parenting program.

“I told my cousin that I feel lonely because there are no children in the house since my daughters were not yet married then,” said Apas, who had two daughters, three sons and 12 grandchildren.

Cañete accompanied Apas to the DSWD 7 Field Office to process Apas’ application.

After complying with the medical examination and other requirements, Apas took home her first foster child – one year old baby Nina from the RSCC.

“When I finally had a foster child, I was really glad. I make sure the child is well taken cared of because I don’t want to see an untidy child. When DSWD even gives out clothes, I always ask for white colored ones because they look neat,” Apas said in Cebuano.

When baby Niña was placed on permanent adoption after 10 months under her care, three siblings aged five, four and one were brought to her on November 2003.

They stayed with her for two years before they were transferred to a private facility in southern Cebu.

She said that among the eight children these three siblings were the closest to her and it took her some time to finally accept that they were no longer with her.

To ease her longing, she asked permission from DSWD 7 to visit the siblings.

“I brought food and toys when I visited them. The kids were very happy that they boasted to others that their lola visited them,” a teary-eyed Apas said in Cebuano.

When CEBU DAILY NEWS visited Apas in her home together with RSCC social worker Analisa Gubalane, she was carrying her current foster child, one-year old RJ, who will turn two this month.

She was also carrying her biological grandchild Clent, who asked also be carried by her when she received us.

Baby RJ was brought to her home last February.

The boy has recently been matched to a foreign adoptive parents and DSWD 7 is already finalizing his papers.

Just like any human being, Apas also experiences separation anxiety from her foster children.

“I let it out by crying. We already know that this will only be temporary because they have to find a permanent adoptive parents,“ she said.

The Foster Care program has been around since the 1980s, said Emma Patalinghug, DSWD Child and Youth Welfare Program specialist.

“We are developing and recruiting foster parents because in the RSCC, we only take care of babies. The vision of the DSWD is to respond to the needs of the children to be in a family since that is one of  their rights: for these children to grow up in a family, “ Patalinghug said.