CRC/C/15/Add.259 page 10 4. Family environment and alternative care Parental responsibilities 44. As regards parental responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child, the Committee is concerned about many Philippine children living with loose family ties due to the fact that at least one parent is working overseas. 45. The Committee calls for effective implementation of the Act to Institute the Policies of Overseas Employment and Establish a Higher Standard of Protection and Promotion of the Welfare of Migrant Workers, Their Families and Overseas Filipinos in Distress, and for Other Purposes (Republic Act No. 8042) and recommends to the State party that it take all necessary measures to ensure that overseas Philippine workers, equally women and men, are able to meet their parental responsibilities, including through concluding bilateral agreements with the countries of destination, and facilitate family reunification and a stable family environment for the upbringing of children. In addition, the Committee recommends that the State party continue its efforts to develop and provide child-sensitive family counselling services for overseas Philippine workers and their children. Recovery of maintenance 46. While noting the high number of Philippine children with a parent or both parents working overseas, the increasing number of Philippine children born abroad during overseas migration and the cases where paternity has not been established, the Committee is concerned that the State party has not sufficiently ensured the recovery of maintenance in practice. The Committee is concerned about the insufficient implementation of domestic laws, for example the relevant provisions of the Family Code and the Special Protection of Children against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, and the enforcement of court orders in this respect. In addition, the Committee is concerned at the actual implementation of, and in some cases, the absence of bilateral agreements for reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders. 47. The Committee recommends that the State party secure in practice the recovery of maintenance for the child. As regards parent(s) working abroad, the Committee encourages the State party to conclude bilateral agreements for reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders and consider establishing a fund to secure the payment of maintenance in those cases where the recovery of maintenance fails. Foster care and adoption 48. The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption and notes with appreciation the provisions of the Intercountry Adoption Law (Republic Act No. 8043) and the Domestic Adoption Law (Republic Act No. 8552). The Committee takes note with concern that the Government bill on the Foster Care Act has been pending in Congress for several years. The Committee is concerned that the lengthy process of declaring a child for adoption results in a prolonged stay in an institution. The Committee also notes with concern that intercountry adoption is not used as a last resort.