North Luzon Monitor

North Luzon

Groups push for passage of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Bill

In a convergence of legislators, government line agencies and groups led by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. (PLCPD) the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) bill is being pushed in a bid to make registration of birth, death, and marriage more accessible.

House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-List Rep. Jude Acidre said the importance of civil registration is now being seen as a priority in the country, ‘” We are somewhat optimistic that our campaign ay makikinig sa aming campgain, nakikita na ng bansa ang impoiratnsya ng tamang birth registration,” he said.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), approximates there are 3.7 million Filipinos, including 1.4 million children aged 0 to 14, have no birth certificates with many in remote and disadvantaged areas where the process of acquiring a birth certificate is hindered by distance, low literacy, or financial constraints.

Acidre said “This is why we are pushing for the Barangay based civil registration, the delay (in registration) is caused by inaccessibility, pero kung doon mismo sa barangay ay may paraan na kumg paano ka makak register, mas Madali,” adding making civil registration more accessible will help the government through increased contributions from more registered Filipinos who are more likely to have better earning capacities.

Civil registration is the continuous, permanent, compulsory, and universal recording of the occurrence of vital events pertaining to the population and is the best source of vital statistics which is needed for informed public policy and decision-making to improve health and socioeconomic outcomes.

Acidre, one of the principal authors of the Civil Registration Bill in the House of Representatives, said that the benefits of an improved civil registration system do not end with the individual’s ability to access their rights; they also translate into foundational data that supports national progress.

Romeo Dongeto, PLCPD Executive Director said the CRVS also involves modernizing and digitizing the civil registration system, as well as establishing barangay level registration to reach more marginalized sectors.

“Without a birth certificate, a child or an individual faces the risk of being denied their rights to identity, education, health services, inheritance, employment, and even legal justice in cases where determining the age is crucial.”

The bill also seeks to address the absence of monitoring and supervision over local civil registrars, and the absence of guidelines on certifying causes of death for medically unattended deaths and medicolegal deaths.

The PSA reports similar challenges plague death registration. Many deaths go unreported due to logistical hurdles and cultural practices, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where only 42 percent of deaths were registered in 2021.

The PSA cities CRVS Issues and Challenges which include; Completeness or under registration, Timeliness of registration/ delayed registration, Quality of data: Duplicate records, consistency of entries/ common errors, Compliance in policy: child marriage and resulting births, traditional birth attendant-assisted births, collection of fees, cultural and religious practices, Falsification of documents and fraudulent registrations

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of the Civil Registration Bill in the Senate, underscored the bill’s importance amid the Senate’s probe on a small-town mayor’s alleged criminal activities, including falsification of civil registry documents.

The PLCPD and Probe Media Foundation Inc. organized a media orientation on the Omnibus CRVS Bill Friday, July 12, 2024 at the Novotel Araneta Center in Metro Manila to heighten awareness about the CRVS Bill gathering representatives from the private sector and advocates.

The last comprehensive national law on civil registration, the Civil Registry Law or RA 3753, was enacted more than 90 years ago, in 1930. Maria Elena Catajan

Scroll to Top