BACOLOD City – This city’s Civil Registrar Office is eyeing to increase some of its fees that have not been updated since 2008 or for about 15 years.
City Civil Registrar Hermilo Pa-oyon said Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez had asked him to inquire about the updated rates of other local government units (LGUs) to revise Bacolod’s revenue code.
“Last time, the mayor asked me to inquire with other LGUs, especially in the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Cebu, among others, about how much their fees are compared to ours,” Pa-oyon said.
A document’s certified true copy is currently at P50 in this city, he added.
But Pa-oyon clarified that there are rates under national law that the city government alone cannot update.
He is referring to, among others, the correction of entries covered by Republic Act 9048, with rates ranging from P1,000 to P3,000, excluding the publication and others.
“If that is part of the national law, the city shall adopt the rates,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pa-oyon reiterated his appeal to the person who lodged a complaint through the “Isugid kay Mayor” program to come to his office and identify the job order casual employee who was allegedly being snobbish to clients of the city government.
Based on the latest information received by Pa-oyon, it was a male staff member who was discourteous toward a client processing a death certificate at Window 3 of the Civil Registrar Office.
Earlier, two female employees who were present at the time in question met with Benitez and denied the allegation.
“It is better that the complainant comes to my office, tells everything, and identifies who the person being complained about is,” Pa-oyon stressed.
His office has already requested a microphone to be used in client windows for ease of transactions, to avoid raising voices and consequently misunderstandings./PN
