Question

Adopted Children - Simulated Birth Rectification Act (R.A. No. 11222)

Scenario:

Marie and John, a married couple, have been trying to have a child for several years but have been unsuccessful. They came across an opportunity to adopt a newborn baby boy, David, who was abandoned at a hospital. The couple went through the legal adoption process and was granted legal custody of David.

Years later, Marie and John discovered that David was not a abandoned child, but a child who was the product of a simulated birth. They learned that David's biological parents entrusted him to a woman named Sarah who falsely claimed to have given birth to David, enabling the legal process of adoption. Marie and John want to rectify the birth record of David to reflect his true biological parents.

Question:

1. What is the Simulated Birth Rectification Act, also known as R.A. No. 11222, and what is its purpose?
2. Can Marie and John avail the provisions of R.A. No. 11222 to rectify the birth record of David? Explain.
3. What are the requirements and procedures under R.A. No. 11222 for the rectification of simulated birth records?
4. What are the legal consequences of rectifying the birth record of David under R.A. No. 11222?