[johnny]

I think it could be best answered by someone from the ICAB organization.

My best guess is that it's because the rules for the Philippines say they must seek every possible effort to find a Philippine home for the children. They might actually be doing exactly what they are charged to do. Or perhaps people with ambitious behavior might believe that this number is a report card. Politically speaking they may reference the number as a track record for their accomplishments. If this is the case, I think it’s an example of how "Absolute power corrupts absolutely". You often see it in large companies or corporations where managers manipulate reports in order to look good. Why? Because they are in a position where they can.

I like to think the fore mentioned, that ICAB is actually finding homes for children domestically and the number of children in orphanages is going down at least for toddles and infants, but I don’t have a clue. (Maybe a little one) If the number is actually going up then it’s more likely as it is today that the Social System in the Philippines is failing the children. I don't think ICAB can only process 200 adoptions a year. I suspect they are unwilling to process more then 200 a year hence the waiting period increases each year.

I also don’t think it’s fair to compare China to the Philippines in terms of using overall numbers. China’s culture favors the son over the daughter and discourages families. Even if China changes its policies toward birth control the culture will not change overnight. Its culture, policy and word of mouth create an environment where birth parents can actually have hope for the life for an unwanted child through Intercountry adoption. While I find it unthinkable for a child to be killed just because it’s not a male, the Chinese culture may see it differently.

Johnny