Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3542

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by REP. FAUSTINO ‘BOJIE’ G. DY III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to strengthen the country’s civil registration and vital statistics
system. It declares as a state policy the registration of all births, deaths, and marriages
without discrimination. Further, it aims to provide a legal framework for promoting
and maintaining an efficient, responsive, inclusive, and accessible civil registration
and vital statistics system.

This proposed measure covers all acts, events, and judicial and administrative
issuances affecting the civil status and vital statistics of persons in the Philippines and
all Filipino citizens abroad, including all children with at least one F

The salient provisions of this bill include the following:

Defining the duties and powers of the Civil Registrar General and the
City/Municipal Civil Registrar;

© Providing for mandatory continuing education and training program for Civil
Registrars, Consul Generals, District Recorders, Circuit Registrars and their
staff for the efficient and effective delivery of civil registration services;

© Providing for a free registration of vital civil registry events including late
registration of births;

© Establishment of an Indigenous Peoples Civil Registration System (IPCRS)
that is sensitive and appropriate to the unique cultural practices and
identification systems of IPs; and


© Establishment of a Barangay Civil Registration System where elected and
appointed barangay officials shall be mandated to assist in the facilitation of
civil registration within their jurisdiction.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure in the 20th
Congress is earnestly sought.

FAUSTI OJIE’ G. DY TIL


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 3542

Introduced by REP. FAUSTINO ‘BOJIE’ G. DY III

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND RESPONSIVE CIVIL
REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM, PROVIDING FUNDS.
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

SECTION 1. Short Title This Act shall be known as the “Comprehensive and
Responsive Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy — The State shall promote and maintain an
efficient, responsive, inclusive, and accessible civil registration and vital statistics
system. Towards this end, standardization and modernization of regis
procedures is necessary to establish the identity of an individual for administrative
and legal purposes. Moreover, efficient and simplified procedures in recording vital

tion

events must be ap]
identity of an ind

ivil registration in order to establish the most precise
ual for the benefit of the general public.

The State declares the registration of all births, deaths, and marriages without
.s such, the State shall provide and maintain

discrimination as a national State policy.
a legal framework on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) that is accessible,
available, affordable, and protects the rights of all citizens, especially children. Such a
framework will also ensure the easy gathering, retrieval and recording of statistics.


The enactment of this policy, reaffirms the commitment of the State to international
standards and recommendations, according to the principles of the universal human
right to be recognized as a person before the law (UDHR Art.V1), to children’s right
to nationality, registration after birth (UN CRC Art. VII), the right to identity (UN
CRC Art. VIII), the right to be protected from discrimination based on race, sex,
color, language, religion, national or social origin (ICCPR Art. XXIV), the right to
nationality of persons with disabilities (CRPD Art. XVIII), the right of adolescents to
birth registration (UNCRC GC 20, Art. VIII), the right of children in street situations
to be proactively supported to obtain legal identity documents and the right of all
children at all ages to free, accessible, simple and expeditious birth registration (UN
CRC GC 21, Art. XV), and the right of all Filipino migrant workers to be recognized
as a person of the law (ICMW, Art. XXIV) on CRVS.

The State shall endeavor to facilitate the realization of the people’s rights and support
good governance, health and development through the universal and responsive
CRVS system. In this light, the State shall work towards reaching the following goals
from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Declaration of Civil
Registration in Southeast Asia:

Goal 1: Universal civil registration of all births, deaths, marriages, and other
vital events based on accurate data;

Goal 2. Entitlement of all individuals to legal documentation of civil
registration of their births, deaths, marriages and other vital events, as
necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights;

Goal 3: Production and dissemination of accurate, complete and timely vital
(including the cause of death) are produced based on registration

Goal 4: Free, accessible, simple, and expeditious birth registration is provided
to all children at all ages.

Goal 5: The civil registration documents are used as main tools for child
protection in relation to education, health, and other social services, justice,
inheritance, and family reunification.


SECTION 3. Coverage. This law shall embrace all acts, events, and judicial and
administrative issuances affecting the civil status and vital statistics of persons in the
Philippines and all Filipino citizens abroad, including all children with at least one
Filipino parent.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act, the following terms are
defined as follows:

a) Barangay

b)

q

d

Registration System (BCRS) — refers to a scheme to facilitate
extensive civil registration at the barangay level involving all barangay officials
assisting the Local Civil Registrars (LCR) in civil registration work, as
provided in Section 394 (d) (5) RA 7160, otherwise known as the Local
Government Code of the Philippines;

Birth Attendant — refer exclusively to persons with midwifery skills such as
licensed doctors, midwives, and nurses who have been trained to proficiency in
the skills necessary to manage normal deliveries and diagnose, manage, or refer
obstetric complications;

Child - any person below 18 years of age or older who is unable to fully take
care of himselffherself from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or
discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition;

Children in Need of Special Protection (CNSP) - shall refer to all persons
below 18 years of age, or those 18 years old and over but are unable to take
care of themselves because of physical or mental disability condition; who are
vulnerable to or are victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation, cruelty,
discrimination and violence (armed conflict, domestic violence and other
analogous conditions prejudicial to their development); CNSP includes, but is
not limited to: 1.Sexually/physically- abused children; 2.Children in
commercial sexual exploitation; 3.Children in conflict with the law; 4.Children
involved in armed conflict; 5.Working children or victims of child labor;
6.Children in various circumstances of disability; 7.Children directly affected
by HIV/AIDS and other sexually- transmitted disease (STDs) 8.Street children
9.Children in substance abuse; 10.Mentally challenged children; 11.Abandoned
children/ children without primary caregiver; 12.Displaced children/refugee

children;


e) Circuit Registrar — refers to the Clerk of Court of a Shari’a Circuit Court
performing as Circuit Registrar of Muslim marriages, divorces, revocations of
divorces, and conversions with the respective court’s jurisdiction, as provided

in Title VI, Book Two of Presidential Decree No. 1083 otherwise known as
Code of Muslim Personal Laws;

f)

Civil Registration — refers to the continuous, permanent, universal and

I events in

compulsory documentation of occurrences and characteristics of vi
the life of a person, including any modifications thereof during his lifetime and
until his death, as provided for by this Act;

g) Civil Register — refers to the various civil registry books and related
certificates and documents where registrable acts, events, and judicial and
administrative issuances concerning the civil status of a person are recorded
and kept in the archives of the Civil Registrar’s Offices, Philippine Consulate
Offices, Shari’a District and Circuit Courts, and the Philippine Statistics

Authority (PSA);

hl

Civil Registrar (CR) — refers to the head of the Local Civil Registry Office
(Civil Registrar’s Office), the Consul General (CG) in the Philippine Consulate
Offices, or the Clerk of Court in Shari’a District and Circuit Court;

i) Civil Registrar General (CRG) — refers to the head of the PSA who is also
the National Statistician of the government of the Philippines;

Consul General (CG) — refers to the head of a Philippine Consulate Office

acting as Civil Registrar of all civil registry documents involving Filipinos in a
foreign country;

k)

Civil Registry Document — refers to a certificate or any document relating to
the civil status of a person which is recorded and kept in the archives of the
Civil Registrar’s Offices, Philippine Consulate Offices, Shari’a District and
Circuit courts and the PSA;

District Recorder (DR) — refers to the Clerk of Court of the Shari’a District


Court performing civil registration-related functions as District Recorder of
Muslim marriages, divorces, revocation of divorces, and conversions with the
respective court’s territorial jurisdiction, as provided in Title VI, Book Two of
Presidential Decree No. 1083 otherwise known as the Code of Muslim
Personal

Laws;

m)Foundling - any person who is abandoned and whose parentage is unknown;

n) Legal Instrument — refers to any legal documents that would be officially
issued pursuant to this act;

0)

Live Birth — refers to a complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a
product/s of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which
after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as
beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of
voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the
placenta is attached;

p) Local Archive Authority (LAA) ~ refers to the LCR or the authorized
representative of the LCRO of each Local Government Unit who has the duty
to establish, keep and maintain the local archives, to include its mandatory
digitization of all civil registry documents for the herein provided Digital
Linkages and Interconnection of All Participating LRCOs.

q) Local refers to the head of

| Registrar (LCR)
the CIVIL
REGISTRAR’S OFFICE;

National Statistician — the head of the PSA acting as the CRG for the purpose
of this Act;

3]

Out-of-Town Reporting — occurs when the certificate of live birth or death is
presented to the civil registrar of a city or municipality which is not the place of
birth or death, not for registration but to be forwarded to the civil registrar of
the city or municipality where the birth or death occurred and where it should
be registered; and


') Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) — refers to the central statistics
authority of the Republic of the Philippines headed by the National Statistician,

SECTION 5. Duties and Functions of the Civil Registrar General (CRG). The
Office of the Civil Registrar General shall have the following duties and functions:

a) Policy-making Functions. The CRG has the following policy-making functions
and responsibilities on the Civil Registry System.

i. Prepare and promulgate the implementing rules and regulations
Pertaining to civil registration laws and all subsequent issuances
relative thereto, in close collaboration with the DILG and
PACR; and ii. Issue circulars and memoranda pertaining to civil

registration enhancements as part of the functions of the OCRG;

b) Provision of Technical Support to Local Civil Registry Offices.
i Provide technical supervision to the City/Municipal Civil
Registrar (C/MCRs) and other Local Civil Registry Officers; and
ii, Provide ways and means to assist Civil Registrars for. the
Teconstruction of Local Archives as the need arises; and,

©) National Civil Registry Depository. Act as the national central depository of all
civil registry documents submitted to the OCRG for archiving from all civil
‘eaistry offices of the Philippines, for backup database and statistical analysis
Purposes only,

SECTION 6. Duties of the City/Municipal Civil Registrar. - The appointment of
C/MCRs shall be mandatory for city and municipal governments,

The C/MCR shall be responsible for the civil registration programs in the local
Sovernment unit concerned, pursuant to this Act, other existing laws, rules and
regulations,

The C/MCR shall develop plans and strategies and upon approval thereof by the
mayor, implement the same, particularly those which pertains to civil registry
programs and projects.


The C/MCR shall:

©)

d

°)

8)

h

J

k)

File registrable certificates and documents presented to him or her for entry:

Compile copies of every document registered and transmit to CRG within the
first ten (10) calendar days of the succeeding month;

Issue certified transcripts or copies of any certificate or document registered,
upon payment of the prescribed fees:

Classify, digitize, index and preserve all registered documents in accordance
with the appropriate archiving procedures;

Administer oaths, free of charge, for civil registry Purposes;

File, keep and preserve in a secure place the civil registry book as required by
law;

Receive all registrable documents and transcribe in the corresponding civil
register all documents accepted for registration;

Receive applications for the issuance of a marriage license and after
determining that the requirements and ‘Supporting certificates and publication
thereof for the prescribed period have been complied with, shall issue the
license upon payment of the authorized fee for the local treasurer;

Conduct community education campaigns on vital registration and assist in the
Preparation of demographic and other statistics for the local government unit
concerned;

Recommend to the legislative bodies and collaborate with administrative
agencies in the formulation of systems, procedures, policies, rules and
regulations on civil registration;


1) Submit status reports to the CRG on the condition of civil registry documents
filed in his civil registry office whenever there are substantial changes in the
status of his files, in case of fire, flood, earthquake and other natural and or
manmade calamities;

m) Reconstruct destroyed civil registry records upon compliance with the
requirements following the procedures established by the CRG;

n) Make civil registry forms available at all times in the civil registry office;

0) Exercise the powers granted to Civil Registrars under Republic Act No. 9048
as amended by Republic Act No. 10172 on the correction of clerical or
typographical and change of first name or nickname, the day and month in the
date of birth or sex of a person where it is patently clear that there was a
clerical or typographical error or mistake in the entry.

SECTION 7. Civil Registry Books. The Civil Registrar shall keep, update as
mandated by law and preserve the following books in their offices:

a)
b)

c)
a)
e)
f)
8)

h)

Register of births — the records of birth in the civil registry;

Register of births per person without known parents — the records of
abandoned children in the civil register;

Register of deaths — the record of death of a deceased in the civil register;
Register of marriages — the records of solemnized marriage in the civil register;
Register of Court Decrees or Orders — the records of court decree or order
concerning the status of a person in the civil register;

Register of legal instruments ~ the records of legal instruments executed
affecting the vital events of a person in the civil register;

Register of Applications for Marriage License — the records of application of
marriage license in the civil register;

Register of Conversion to Islam ~ the records of conversion to Islam religion
of a person in the civil registrar;

Register of Muslim Filipino Marriages — the records of marriage of a Muslim

Filipino in the civil register;
Register of Muslim Filipino Divorces — the records of divorce of a Muslim
Filipino in the civil register;


k) Register of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IPs)
Marriage Dissolutions — the records of ICCs/IPs dissolution of marriage in the
civil register; and Register of ICCs/IPs Revocation of Marriage Dissolutions —
the records of ICCs/IPs revocation of marriage dissolutions.

SECTION 8. Registrable Acts and Events. The following are the Registrable Acts
and Events:

. Birth;

. Death;

. Application for Marriage License;
. Marriage;

. Court Orders or Decrees; and

. Legal Instruments;

AuwRYne

The Registrable Orders or Decrees of Courts and other competent authorities are the
following:

1. Adoption;

2. Rescission of Adoption;

3. Annulment of Marriage;

4. Declaration of Nullity of Marriage;

5. Declaration of Presumptive Death;

6. Compulsory Recognition of Illegitimate Child;

7. Voluntary Recognition of Minor Illegitimate Child;

8. Appointment of Guardian;

9. Termination of Guardianship;

10. Judicial Determination of Filiation;

11. Naturalization-All forms of naturalization;

12. Cancellation of Naturalization;

13. Judicial Determination of The Fact of Reappearance, if Disputed;

14. Separation of Property;

15. Revival of Former Property Regime;

16. Foreign Court Orders Decided Abroad; and

17. Other orders/decrees that pertain to the civil status and vital statistics of a
person


The civil registrar shall properly enter the registrable events and court orders or
decrees.

SECTION 9, Free Registration of Vital Civil Registry Events. The registration of
births, deaths and marriage are hereby declared a national policy. Therefore, no fees
shall be imposed and collected in the registration of these events, whether or not these
are registered on time. All supporting documents as prerequisite to birth registration
shall also be free.

The first copies of civil registration certificates shall be free. For issuance of
succeeding copies of civil registry documents, a minimal fee prescribed by the CRG
may be collected.

For registration of registrable judicial and administrative issuances or orders, and legal
instruments, a standard fee shall be collected.

SECTION 10. Registration and Certification of Birth. The declaration of the
physician, midwife, nurse, birth attendant, finder or in default thereof, the declaration
of either or both parents or any person who has knowledge of the facts of birth of the
newbom child shall be sufficient for the registration of birth in the civil register.

The duly accomplished Certificate of Live Birth containing the above declaration
shall be submitted for registration to the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the
birth occurred within thirty (30) calendar days from date of birth by the
aforementioned persons, declaring the following when available:

a.) Full name of the child;

b.) Sex;

c.) Date of birth;

d.) Place of birth or where found;

e.) Name of mother;

f.) Citizenship of the mother;

g.) Name of father;

h.) Citizenship of the father;

i.) Date and place of marriage of parents; and

j.) Such other data as may be identified in the implementing rules and
regulations of this Act.


Birth and other civil registry records of persons when any or some of the following
information is absent/missing: the usual middle initial or middle name, citizenship if
stateless, names of parents if unknown, date of marriage if inapplicable, or when an
individual has only one birth name or any analogous circumstances, shall have equal
acceptability and respect before all government, public, private, commercial, and
business transactions where these documents are presented.

The fetus is considered born if it is alive at the time it is completely delivered from the
mother’s womb and shall be considered as live birth and shall be registered in the
Register of Births.

The fetus is not deemed bom if it dies within twenty-four (24) hours after its delivery
from the mother’s womb. But for statistical purposes, a COLB shall be prepared in
duplicate, where in a copy shall be forwarded to the Office of the Civil
Registrar-General and the other for Civil Registrar’s file.

All cases of birth on board a vessel or airplane en route to the Philippines shall be
recorded in the civil register of the city or municipality where the mother habitually
resides if either of the parent is a citizen of the Philippines or both are. When the
parents are both foreigners but not residents of the Philippines, the birth may be
recorded in any civil registry office in the Philippines, if they so desire.

Abandoned children or foundlings whose parents, guardians or relatives are unknown,
or children committed to an orphanage or a child-caring institution with unknown
facts of birth and parentage, shall be registered by the finder or charitable institution
concemed within thirty (30) days from the date of finding or commitment of the child
with the C/MCR of the place where such person was born. The CRG shall issue a
COLB to these children.

All LCR/PSAs in partnership with LGUs shall provide mobile birth registration
services especially in all Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA)
under their jurisdiction.

SECTION 11. Delayed Registration of Birth. A person who has not been registered
with the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE at the place of birth or where found shall
apply for delayed registration within the prescribed period of thirty (30) calendar days
upon discovering that no entry of birth has been recorded in the Register of Births.


For delayed registration, resort to out-of-town registration of birth may be allowed,
where the place of application for registration is other than the place of birth of the
person seeking to be registered. The LCR/PSA and PSA shall issue a COLB free of
charge regardless of delay. A person who has not been registered before the office of
the C/MCR and PSA where he or she was born within the prescribed period of thirty
(30) calendar days shall apply on the basis of his or her nearest kin. The informant and
affiant must show authentic proof of the identity of the person to be registered, the
facts of his birth, his parentage and other relevant data.

In the implementation of this act, the LCR/PSA should conduct regular review to
assess the accessibility of registration and design and implement programmatic
interventions to address gaps in CRVS, with PSA as the central office for data
management and standards.

The record of a person’s birth shall be kept strictly confidential and any treatment
thereof shall be fully compliant with the Data Privacy Act.

SECTION 12. Culturally-Sensitive Registration System — In collaboration with the
National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), National Commission on
Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM), Philippine Association of Civil Registrars, National Commission on
Culture and Arts (NCC), and distinguished anthropologists and selected elders and
leaders of IPs shall establish an Indigenous Peoples Civil Registration System
(IPCRS) that is sensitive and appropriate to the unique cultural practices and
identification systems of IPs: Provided, that the IPCRS shall be harmonized with
existing laws and systems on civil registry.

In recording the birth of IPs delivered in the traditional customs and practices of the
indigenous community, the report as to the circumstances of the birth by any of the
parents or by the tribal doctor or tribal midwife who attended to the delivery shall be
conclusive upon the Local Civil Registrar (without need for further proof) and PSA.

The IPCRS shall take into account the various ethnic affiliations of the IPs in the
country. For this purpose, the PSA Administrator, acting as the Civil Registrar
General, instead of issuing separate forms for the IPCRS, shall cause the amendment
of the existing civil registry forms, for uniformity of all civil registry documents to
ensure acceptability by end-user agencies or institutions of the facts and information


contained in said documents and ease of establishing filial bonds between or among
parents or parents and child.

In the absence of any identifying document, the self-ascription or ascription by any of
the parents or tribal leader or elder shall suffice to establish the identity of IPs when
applying with the LCR/PSA for recording birth, marriage or death.

SECTION 13. Mandatory Continuing Education and Training Program. To
ensure that the efficient and effective delivery of civil registration services meet the
demand for quality civil registrars who shall perform civil registration functions, the
Civil Registrar General together with LGU, shall conduct continuing education and
training program for Civil Registrars, Consul Generals, District Recorders, and Circuit

Registrars and their staff, in collaboration with relevant partners in government,
academe, industry, and non-governmental organizations. Such training programs shall
be initiated, conducted based on Training Needs Analysis, and evaluated regularly
throughout the year to ensure constant upgrading of skills of the Civil Registrars,
Consul Generals, District Recorders, and Circuit Registrars, and their staff.

SECTION 14. Barangay Civil Registration System (BCRS). There shall be a
Barangay Civil Registration System established where elected and appointed
barangay officials shall be mandated to assist in the facilitation of civil registration
within their area or jurisdiction subject to the provision of this Act.

The Civil Registrar General shall establish a systematic civil registration procedure at
the barangay level

The Barangay Captain shall submit the names of the Barangay Secretary as
Ex-Officio Barangay Civil Registration Officer (BCRO) and other deputized barangay
officials as Barangay Civil Registration Assistant (BCRA) who shall assist in the
registration of all vital events of every individual within the area of jurisdiction.

The CRO shall engage the barangays to support in the implementation of the law,
including the provision of fiscal and budgetary support.

Proper networking and interconnectedness between the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S
OFFICE. and the barangay shall be ensured in order to attain mandatory civil

registration of all born Filipinos. The PSA, LGUs, a national professional organization



of local civil registrars duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
and other accredited government or private institutions shall conduct regular training
and capacity building programs to upgrade the knowledge and skills in civil
registration functions of all partners in the Barangay.

SECTION 15. Free Delayed Registration and Certification of Birth. - Local
government units are mandated to implement a free delayed registration program for
persons whose births have not been registered and certified due to such factors as
poverty, distance, or lack of literacy. The Sangguniang Barangay shall assist in the
implementation of the program through the Barangay Civil Registration System.

The OCRG, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) shall jointly prepare a Free
Delayed Registration Program for Indigenous Peoples (FDRIP) which shall be
implemented by the local government units and the NCIP regional or local offices in
the localities concerned.

Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the OCRG shall issue
implementing rules and regulations for the free delayed registration and certification
of birth covering the foregoing.

SECTION 16. Strict Confidentiality of Birth Records. The record of a person’s
birth shall be kept confidential and no information relating thereto shall be issued
except upon request of the following:

a) The concerned person herself/himself, or any person authorized by him;

b) Spouse;

c) Any or both the parents, direct descendants, or the guardian or institution
legally in-charge in case of a minor,

d) The Court or appropriate public official whenever absolutely necessary in
administrative, judicial or other official proceedings to determine the
identity of the child’s parents or other circumstances surrounding the birth;
and e) The nearest kin in case of a person’s death.

SECTION 17. Registration and Certification of Death. No human body shall be
buried or cremated unless the proper death certificate has been presented and recorded
in the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE/PSA.


The physician who attended the deceased, or in his default, the health officer
concerned, any member of the family of the deceased or any person having
knowledge of the death shall immediately report the same to the local health
authorities who shall issue a death certificate and shall order the same to be recorded
before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE/PSA at the place of death.

The death certificate which shall be issued by the attending physician of the deceased
or, in his default, by the authorized health officer, shall indicate the following data,
which shall be furnished by the person reporting the death to the civil registrar:

a) Full name of the deceased;

b) Sex;

c) Age;

d) Civil status;

e) Nationality; F) Date of birth; G) Place of birth;
h) Date of death;

i) Place of death;

j) Full names of the deceased’s parents;

k) Cause of death; and
1) Such other relevant data that may be required.

The surname to be entered in the registry of death and the Death Certificate shall be
the surname used prior to his/her death. In case the deceased is a legally married
woman, informants shall register the death using the surname she chose as a legally

married person.

The registration of death shall be made within thirty (30) calendar days from the time
and date of death before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE at the place of death, or
the Philippine Consulate Office in the foreign country where the death happened.

In the absence of the city or municipal health officer or his authorized representative
in the place of registration, or when it is a non-working day and the health officer or
his authorized representative is not expected to be in the office, the death shall be
reported by the nearest kin of the deceased or by any person having knowledge of the
death within forty-eight (48) hours after its occurrence, to the mayor or to the vice
mayor or any member of the Sangguniang Bayan or to the municipal secretary, who


shall issue and sign the medical certification of the Certificate of Death for burial,
cremation, and registration purposes.

When the death is subjected to a medico-legal examination, or the cause of death is
under investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or other concerned
government office and the body of the deceased is subjected to autopsy or
examination of the medico-legal officers and no record of death has been registered,
the head of the NBI or other investigative agency or the duly authorized representative
shall cause the registration of such death through the City or Municipal Health Officer
at the place of death.

The medico-legal officer shall accomplish and sign the medical certification portion of
the certificate of death, subject to the review of the City or Municipal Health Officer.

SECTION 18. Delayed Registration of Death, A deceased person’s facts of death
that have not been registered within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of death
shall be allowed delayed registration before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE at
the place of death.

In any case, out-of-town registration of death may be allowed.

SECTION 19. Registration of the Application for Marriage License. An
application for marriage license shall be filed by the contracting parties before the CR
where one of the parties resides. The CR shall enter all applications in the Register of
Applications for Marriage License strictly in the order of receipt of applications. The
CR shall record in said register the names of the applicants, the date on which the
marriage license was issued, and such other data as may be necessary.

No application shall be received by the CR unless supporting documents are attached
thereto and no application shall be posted unless it is received by the CR. Registration
of the application shall only take place after the completion of the posting period.

All applications for marriage license shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of
EO. No. 209, otherwise known as the Family Code of the Philippines.


SECTION 20. Registration of Marriage. All marriages shall be registered by the
solemnizing officer before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE of the place where
they were solemnized.

a) Incase of marriages solemnized while in transit:

i, Enroute to, or within the Philippines, the marriage shall be registered at the
place of residence of either party; or

ii, _ Leaving the Philippines, the marriage shall be registered at the consulate of
the Philippines in the place of destination of the parties, or in the absence
thereof, to the nearest Philippine consulate from the place of destination.

b) In cases of registration of traditional marriages and dissolution of marriages
among IPs.

The report of marriage among and between IPs solemnized in accordance with
customary laws, rites, traditions and practices by the person duly authorized to
perform the ritual or ceremony and by the parties to the marriage shall be
conclusive upon the LCR/PSA without need for further proof. For this purpose,
the NCIP shall submit to the PSA a list of IPs recognized by each indigenous
community to solemnize marriage according to its customary laws or practices.
The PSA shall issue a Certificate of Registration of Authority to Solemnize
Marriage (CRASM) to such IPs for free.

In the case of indigenous communities whose traditional marriage ceremony
g officer, as determined by the

does not require the presence of a solemni
NCIP, the report by the contracting parties shall be conclusive upon the
LCR/PSA without the need for further proof except personal confirmation,
orally or in writing, by any of the parents or by a tribal leader or elder of the
indigenous community to which any of the spouses belong. For this purpose,
the NCIP shall furnish the PSA and the LCR/PSAs with a list of indigenous
communities falling under this paragraph: Provided, that pending. the
submission of such list, the oral or written confirmation of the tribal leader or
elder shall be conclusive upon the LCR/PSA.


The dissolution of marriage of IPs following customary indigenous laws and
practices shall be directly recorded with the LCR/PSA without need of court
intervention: Provided, that such facts and information shal] be confirmed
orally or in writing by a tribal leader or elder of the indigenous community to
which any of the spouses belongs.

All marriages shall be registered within thirty (30) days from the date of the marriage.
Marriages registered after the stipulated period shall be considered late registration
and an administrative fee shall be imposed on the solemnizing officer. In no case shall
double or multiple registration of marriages be allowed, except for cases provided by

law.

SECTION 21, Multiple Registration. In cases of multiple registrations of birth,
marriage and death, the first duly registered document shall prevail, unless the Court
orders otherwise.

For multiple marriages by and between the same parties, the first marriage shall
prevail, and not the first registered marriage of such parties.

SECTION 22. Registration of Solemnizing Officers. All solemnizing officers shall
be registered with the Office of the CRG, except those who are not required to be so
registered as provided for by law or existing rules.

The Mayor, with the assistance of the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE, shall
determine documents pertaining to the existence of religious sects.

SECTION 23. Registration of Court Orders. In case of court issuance or order
concerning the status of a person, the Clerk of Court shall advise the successful
petitioner to register such document before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE which
has jurisdiction on the issuing court. In cases of legal separation, absolute nullity of
void marriages and annulment of voidable marriages, the prevailing party shall cause
the registration of the decree in the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the
marriage was registered, the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the family court
is situated, and in the PSA. Such party shall report to the Court compliance with this
requirement within thirty (30) days from receipt of the copy of the decree.


In case a person other than the petitioner shall apply to register a court order before
the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE, the LCR has the responsibility to verify the
veracity of the court issuance or order, otherwise, registration thereof shall be refused.

The CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the event was registered shall forward a
certified true copy of the order to the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the vital
event affected was originally registered. The CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where
the vital event was originally registered shall make proper annotations in the
document and in the applicable registry book. The CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE
which has jurisdiction over the original registry shall send a certified true copy of the
annotated document and the registered court order to the CRG.

Each corrected document shall be reported to the Office of the CRG during the usual

reporting month.

All court orders shall be registered within thirty (30) days after its finality, otherwise it
shall be considered as delayed registration.

All court orders shall be effected through annotations in the civil registry document
except in an adoption case when the child shall be entitled to the issuance of an
amended COLB

SECTION 24, Registration of a child born abroad to at least one Filipino parent.
The parents shall cause the registration of the birth of their child to the Philippine
Consulate which in turn shall issue a Report of Birth within thirty (30) calendar days
from date of birth of a Filipino child, declaring the following when available:

a) Full name of the child;

b) Sex;

c) Date of birth;

d) Place of birth or where found;
e) Name of mother;

f) Citizenship of the mother;

g) Name of father;

k.) Citizenship of the father;

1.) Date and place of marriage of parents; and


m.) Such other data as may be required in the implementing rules and
regulations of this Act.

SECTION 25. Registration of Persons without Known Parents, All without known
Parents, guardians or relatives, or a person committed in an orphanage or charitable
institution with unknown facts of birth and parentage, shall be reported by the finder
to the Barangay Chairperson or any member of the Barangay Council for the
Protection of Children (BCPC) of the place where the person was found, or to the
Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD),
whichever is nearer or convenient to the finder, stating the facts and circumstances
surrounding the finding of the person. When the report is duly noted, the finder shall
bring the child to the nearest Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) office in the region, for proper screening, assessment and evaluation by an
authorized social worker within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of finding or
commitment of the child. The finder shall execute a sworn statement before the
Barangay Captain stating the facts and circumstances surrounding the finding of the
person.

In case of foundlings found in Philippine Consulates, embassies and territories, the
relevant Philippine Consulate shall abide by the eventual State policy (by virtue of
this Act) on foundling.

The finder or charitable institution concerned shall cause the registration before the
CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where such person was found within thirty (30)
calendar days from the date of entrustment to the institution.

Any report made after the thirty-day period shall be considered late registration, and
the concerned party shall be required to state in a sworn statement the circumstances
that caused the late reporting to the civil registrar.

Should the foundling become adopted, the Local Civil Registrar shall stamp the
simulated birth record “cancelled” with an annotation of the issuance of a new
rectified certificate of birth in its place. The rectified birth certificate bearing the
names of the biological parents of the child or the foundling certificate shall then
likewise be stamped “cancelled” with the annotation of the issuance of a new birth
record in its place, and shall be sealed in the civil registry records. Thereafter, the
Local Civil Registrar shall record, register, and issue a new certificate of birth which


shall not bear any notation that it is a new or amended issue, as stated in RA 11222,
Sec. 12.

SECTION 26. Registration of Adoption. The decree of adoption shall be recorded
in the civil register within thirty (30) days after the date of issue of the final judgment
of the court.

After registration of the decree of adoption, the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE
where the birth of the adopted was registered shall immediately issue an amended
COLB.

Such COLB of an adopted child shall not bear any mark or annotation or any
indication of the facts of adoption. It shall have the same entries as those appearing in
the original records of birth, except for the following items of information:

a) Name of the adopted ~ The first name of the adopted child shall be the same as
in the original COLB unless the order of adoption carried an order changing it
to another name. The middle name of the adopted child shall be the same as the
middle name of the adopter, except when the husband and the wife jointly
adopted the child, in which case, the middle name of the adopted shall be the
sumame of the adopting mother.

The surname of the adopted child shall be that of the adopter. If the husband
and wife jointly adopt the child, the adopted child shall use the surname of the
adopting father.

b) Names of parents — The names of the natural parents of the adopted child shall
be substituted by the names of the adopting parents, to be indicated in the
appropriate spaces in the COLB as the father or mother, as the case maybe; and

c) Other information — Other information about the adopting parents such as
citizenship and religion shall be indicated in the appropriate spaces of the
amended certificate of live birth.

The birth order of the adopted and other information about the adopted shall
follow the information given by the adopting parents, unless the court order
states otherwise. In cases where legally married husband and wife jointly adopt
the child, the date and place of marriage of the adopting parents shall be


entered in the appropriate spaces of the amended certificate of live birth of the
adopted child.

In all cases of adoption, no amendment or changes shall be affected in the civil
registry books where the original birth records was duly registered, except for
the marginal annotation by virtue of the adoption decree.

SECTION 27. Registration of Presumptive Death. A judicial order or decree
declaring a person presumably dead for purposes of remarriage shall be registered in
the office of the local civil registrar of the place where the marriage was solemnized.
It shall be annotated and recorded. The registration shall be annotated in the marriage
register as well as in the marriage certificate.

SECTION 28. Registration of Foreign Court Orders Decided Abroad. All forcign
court orders involving status of persons residing in the Philippines shall be registered
before the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE where the affected document is registered.
These foreign court orders, to be legal and binding in Philippine jurisdiction, must
first be recognized by the appropriate embassy of such country here in the Philippines
or Regional Trial Court which has the lawful jurisdiction over such case.

SECTION 29. Registration of Legal Instruments. As a general rule, all legal
instruments shall be registered in the civil registry of the place where they were
executed except for the following:

a) Affidavit of Reappearance — where the parties to the subsequent marriage are
residing;

b) Marriage Settlement — where the marriage is recorded;

©) Admission of Paternity, Acknowledgement, Legitimation, Voluntary
Emancipation of Minor, Artificial Insemination — where the birth of a child was
recorded.

SECTION 30. Registration of Affidavit of Reappearance. A sworm statement of
the facts and circumstances of reappearance of the absentee spouse shall be recorded
in the civil registry office where subsequent marriage of the present spouse was
recorded, at the instance of any interested person, with due notice to the spouses of the


subsequent marriage and without prejudice to the fact of reappearance being judicially
determined in cases where such a fact is disputed.

SECTION 31. Registration of Affidavit of Acknowledgment or Affidavit of
Admission of Paternity. It shall be the duty of parents or parent who executed the
affidavit of acknowledgment to send the original copy to the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S
OFFICE where the entries on the birth of the child were recorded for registration in
the Register of Legal Instruments and for proper annotation in the Register of Births.

SECTION 32. Registration of Repatriation. The instrument of repatriation and the
oath of allegiance to the Constitution and the Government of the Philippines, shall be
filed in the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE of the place where the instrument was
executed: Provided, that if the Philippine citizenship is reacquired by naturalization,
the order of the court or any mandated (omnibus) authority granting citizenship shall
be recorded in the Register of Court Order.

SECTION 33. Registration of Muslim Filipinos, Indigenous Cultural
Communities (ICs) or Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Children in Need of Special
Protection (CNSP).

Muslim Filipinos, ICCs or IPS and CNSP, by reason of their socio-cultural, religious,
and indigenous peculiarities, and vulnerabilities, shall be registered as follows:

a) Muslim Filipinos — civil registration of Muslim Filipinos shall be governed by
PD 1083, EO 157, and its implementing rules and regulations.

b) Indigenous Peoples — civil registration of indigenous cultural communities or
indigenous peoples shall be governed by RA No. 8371 and its implementing

rules and regulations.

c) CNSP — Civil registration of Children in Need of Special Protection shall be
governed by the provisions of this act, special laws, and implementing rules
and regulations, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and
Development and other concerned agencies.

SECTION 34. Civil Registry Documents as Public Documents. The registry books
making up the civil register, the office files in hard copies and its corresponding



digital files of the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICEs, certifications or certified copies
from these files and all other documents relating thereto shall be considered public
documents and shall be prima facie evidence of the truth of the facts therein
contained. These public documents, except those documents which are to be kept
strictly confidential as provided for under this act and other applicable laws shall be
opened to the public during office hours and shall be kept in a secured place which
shall be furnished to civil registrar at the expenses of the funds of the civil registrar’s
office, Philippine consulate office, or Shari’a court concerned.

The civil registrar shall not, under any circumstances, permit any document entrusted
to his care to be removed from his office, except upon lawful order of the court, in
which case the proper receipt shalll be secured.

SECTION 35. Digital/Electronic Reporting of Births, Death and Marriages.There
shall be a compulsory reporting of all occurrences of Births, Deaths, and Marriages
from all Barangays of the Philippines. As Barangay Registration Agents, all Barangay
Secretaries or their authorized representatives are hereby mandated to report these
events using appropriate and duly-inspected secure electronic devices to the LCR/PSA.
and other government agencies mandated by law to monitor the status of registration
of vital civil registry events and shall assist the subsequent registration thereof.
Continuing skills training relevant to Digital/Electronic Reporting of Births, Death
and Marriages of Barangay Registration Agents shall be provided by the PSA, LGU,
PACR and other accredited government and private institutions and organizations.
This training shall equip Barangay Registration Agents with the knowledge and skills
needed to properly implement digital/electronic civil registration.

SECTION 36. Development of National Civil Registry Database (NCRD)
Software.- The National Government thru the National Computer Center in close
coordination with the PSA, the PACR, and the DILG shall develop official software
responsive to the NCRD implementation. Participation and assistance of international
and local private organizations having parallel objectives on the full development of
digital civil registration may be sought in the development of this software. Among
other features, this software shall include the highest degree of data security to ensure
the integrity of its database.

SECTION 37. Digitization of all Civil Registry Files. — All registered documents in
the LCR/PSA shall be digitized. In addition to the usual reports and forwarding of the


printed hard copy files, digitized files shall also be submitted to the PSA as back up
files of the National Civil Registry Database (NCRD), for digital archiving purposes.

SECTION 38. False Statements. - Any person who shall knowingly make false
statements in the furnished forms and present the same for entry in the civil registers
shall be penalized in accordance with law unless it was done for the best interest of
the child.

SECTION 39. Digitalization of Linkages and Interconnection of All Participating
LCR/PSA. — All capable LCR/PSA shall be interconnected to facilitate retrieval,
online certifications, and for local government revenue generation using LGU-linked
NCRD digital files. Participating LCR/PSA are hereby authorized toi
certifications from NCRD for and on behalf of other LCR/PSA subject to pertinent
laws, rules or regulations on the confidentiality of birth records,

ue

SECTION 40. Penal Provisions. Persons in authority who knowingly fall to perform
their duties in relation to this Act shall be held administratively liable in accordance to
law.

Any solemnizing officer without being authorized by the Civil Registrar General or
who, upon solemnizing marriage, refuses to exhibit his authority to solemnize
marriage when called upon to do so by the parties or parents, grandparents, guardians
‘or persons having charge of the parties; or any bishop or officer, priest, minister, or
imam, of any church, religion or sect, the regulations and practices whereof require
bans or publication previous to the solemnization of marriage that is subsequently
declared illegal, or any solemnizing officer in violation of this Act, shall be punished
with imprisonment of not less than six (6) months but not to exceed three (3) years, a
fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 50,000.00) but not more than One
Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 100,000.00), or both, and the revocation of the
authority to solemnize marriage, upon the discretion of the Court.

than One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 100,000.00) or both upon the discretion of
the Court.

The attending physician, midwife, nurse, birth attendant, hospital administrator
in-charge to cause the registration of live births but knowingly fails or withholds the
delivery of copies of the certificate/s of live birth to the city or municipal civil
registrar for registration, or any person who caused the failure of delivery, shall be


penalized by imprisonment of not more than six (6) months and a fine of not less than
Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 50,000.00), or both, upon the discretion of the Court,

SECTION 41. Withholding of documents due to Non-payment of hospital fees. In
no case shall failure to settle hospital bills, in full or in part, be a ground for
non-delivery or withholding of the certificate of live birth or certificate of death or
documents required in the issuance of the said certificates.

SECTION 42. Use of Fees and Income Collected, All fees that are remitted to the
PSA by the National Treasury and all income that the PSA is allowed to retain under
law shall, any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, be used primarily for
operating expenses including capital outlay, upgrading of its current faci
acquisition of office and space, and establishment of satellite offices in the provinces,
and other activities or services the PSA in the performance of its mandate needs.

ies,

SECTION 43. Transitory Provisions. — The PSA shall carry out the reorganization
of the civil registrars in such a manner that personnel of such office absorbed by the
PSA shall continue to perform their respective duties and responsibilities in a
holdover capacity so as not to unduly delay the production of statistics from ongoing
censuses, surveys and processing of administrative records.

SECTION 44. Appropriations. There shall be an initial appropriation of One
Hundred Fifty Million Pesos (Php 150,000,000.00) in the General Appropriations Act,
which will be included in the PSA’s budget for the initial development of software and
the digitization of the CIVIL REGISTRAR’S OFFICE files.

SECTION 45. Mandatory Review. This Act shall undergo a mandatory review on its
provisions every five (5) years to make the law more responsive to the needs of the
times. The review shall be made by Congress, which shall conduct public hearings
and record relevant testimonies of functionaries in the civil registration system, which
shall be the basis of any amendment or modification of this Act.

SECTION 46. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). Within sixty (60) days
from the effectivity of this Act, the PSA, shall promulgate the IRR for the effective
implementation of this Act. The PSA may consult with the Department of Foreign
Affairs, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice(DOJ),
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Commission of


Muslim Filipinos(NCMF), the Office of the Supreme Court Administrator, the
University of the Philippines Law Center, a national professional organization of local
civil registrars duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the
National Privacy Commission, the Department of Health, the Office of Solicitor
General, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples ( NCIP), the Child Rights
Network ( CRN), the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Bureau of
Immigration ( BIR), the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the National
Council of Disability Affairs (NCDA), the Commission on Filipinos Overseas(CFO),
the Department of Education ( DepEd),the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
(OWWA), related child caring agencies, international agencies, civil society
organizations, related ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM) and such other agencies in the formulation of the IRR. Other
relevant stakeholders may also be consulted in the crafting of the IRR.

SECTION 47. Separability Clause. If any part or provision of this Act which shall
be held to be invalid or unconstitutional, other parts or provisions hereof which are
not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 48. Repealing Clause. Act No. 3753 or the Law on Registry of Civil
Status is repealed. Sec. 453, 454, and 479 of the RA 7160 or the Local Government
Code of 1991 are also hereby repealed. All other laws, rules, regulations, orders,
memoranda or circulars inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed and modified
accordingly.

SECTION 49. Construction. In the interpretation of this law, the best interest of the
child shall prevail.

SECTION 50. Retroactivity. This Act shall have retroactive effect insofar as it does
not prejudice or impair vested or acquired rights.

SECTION 51. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.