I have a 20 year old sister who has a 1 year old son. She has been consistently neglecting his son by not being home for consecutive days. My mother who has an asthma is the one taking care of my nephew and I provide the financial needs. My sister recently got a job as a service crew and we were expecting her to buy at least the milk and diaper of his son but she doesn't, and just spends her money going to coffee shops (Starbucks) with her friends. My nephew is experiencing skin, ear, and speech problems but my finances are not enough to have him consult a pedia.

In addition,my sister has been stealing my things, make-up, clothes and sometimes money.

My questions are:

What are the charges or cases can I file against my sister for neglecting his son and stealing my valuables? Is this situation considered child abandonment?
If I tell the barangay about this issue, what might they advice me?

I'm also thinking of adopting my nephew so I'll be able to cover his health needs through my company's health benefits. What are the chances adoption will be approved?

Thanks in advance.

Abandonment can be used as grounds to wrest guardianship and custody away from your sister.

Adoption may be difficult as both parents will have to agree. But if you can get custody, you can require both parents pay child support.

I don't know what the barangay will tell you, but I suspect it would be something similar.

If I tell the barangay about this issue, what might they advice me?


"A barangay (Brgy. or Bgy.; Filipino: baranggay, [baɾaŋˈɡaj]) is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. In colloquial usage, the term often refers to an inner city neighbourhood, a suburb or a suburban neighborhood.[citation needed] The word barangay originated from balangay, a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesian peoples when they migrated to the Philippines.[1] Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays, and they may be further subdivided into smaller areas called purok (English: zone), and sitio, which is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. As of September 30, 2012 there are a total of 42,028 barangays throughout the Philippines" Barangay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barangay)

So, in the sense OP is using the term, would it be the chief administrative officer (sort of like a mayor) of the barangay?