ILOILO City – A certificate of live birth is a high-value document for establishing identity.
But according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are still people in Western Visayas without it, their birth not having been registered.
PSA-6 is thus encouraging most especially underprivileged groups, including indigenous peoples, Muslim Filipinos, senior citizens, and residents of geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), to participate in its Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP).
A birth certificate is also crucial for accessing government benefits and assistance, said Nelida Amolar, officer-in-charge of PSA-6.
Started in February 2022, BRAP aims to facilitate late registration of births for those who have never been registered.
“The objective of this project is to allow people, especially from vulnerable sectors living in remote areas, to register their births late,” explained Amolar.
Tackling the problem on unregistered births is being viewed with urgency now due to an ongoing Senate investigation that has caught national attention – the real identity of suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo. Her nationality is being doubted and her late birth registration is being questioned.
In Western Visayas, BRAP has so far successfully provided 28,226 individuals in the region with birth certificates, according to the PSA-6.
Local Civil Registrar Officers (LCRO) from concerned local government units, along with PSA personnel, conduct ocular inspections to verify the identities of individuals before issuing birth certificates.
However, individuals aged 18 and above who have not yet registered can also approach their LCRO or the PSA directly.
“This initiative is a significant aid since late registration is free of charge and not burdensome,” Amolar added.
To further increase accessibility, the PSA integrates mobile registration drives for the national identification system and conducts extensive information and education campaigns.
The PSA reported significant progress, too, in the region’s registration with the Philippine Identification System, with 6.73 million out of 7.95 million residents in Western Visayas now registered./PN
