Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” C. ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The bill seeks to create a centralized source of information to verify the death of any 
person in the Philippines to detect fraud and act quickly to help reduce fraudulent 
events caused mostly by identity theft. 
Obtaining the identity of dead persons is rampant in the Philippines to get financial 
benefits. We have seen this in the WellMed issue of PhilHealth where some patients 
who availed of dialysis procedures are reportedly dead at the time of the availment of 
the procedure. It is also used to perpetrate electoral fraud or to unlawfully avail of 
social benefits provided by the government through its agencies, such as. Social 
Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Home 
Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office 
(PVAO).  
In this proposal, death verification request may be processed by PSA through the 
death verification system. The Online Death Verification System that will be developed 
and utilized shall be readily accessible to Philhealth, SSS, GSIS, HDMF, and the 
Commission on Elections to prevent fraud in health care, insurance, and social benefit 
systems, as well as in our electoral processes. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is most earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
 MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE 
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. HORIBATA 
NICOLAS “NICK” C. ENCISO VIII 
September 13, 2022
8:00 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.,  
HON. MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY “HORI” G. 
HORIBATA AND HON. NICOLAS “NICK” C. ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT FACILITATING THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE  
BY STRENGTHENING THE FRAUD DETECTION, PREVENTION AND 
ELIMINATION CAPABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT BY CREATING A 
PHILIPPINE DEATH CHECK (PDC) REGISTER AND ONLINE DEATH 
VERIFICATION (ODV) SYSTEM UNDER THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS 
AUTHORITY, AMENDING SECTION 6 OF ACT NO. 3753,  
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be It enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "PSA Online Death 
Verification System Act". 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State acknowledges that lack of immediate 
access to death data is being exploited by criminals and syndicates in perpetrating 
fraudulent activities and corrupt practices. The State recognizes the vital role of 
information and communication technology in protecting the government and Filipinos 
against identity fraud. Therefore, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
establish an efficient, integrated and centralized online death verification system that 
allows immediate access to death data by government instrumentalities, such as 
Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation 
(PHIC), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System 
(SSS), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and Philippine Veterans Affairs 
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Office (PVAO) in order to ensure early detection and prevention of identity fraud 
perpetrated against the Government and its instrumentalities and agencies.  
 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - As used In this Act:  
(a)  Authentication - refers to the process of verifying the death of any person with 
the Philippine Death Check Register through the Online Death Verification 
System.  
(b)  COMELEC - refers to the Commission on Election of the Philippines.  
(c)  Data subject - refers to an Individual whose death Is being verified.  
(d)  GSIS - refers to the Government Service Insurances System created by 
Commonwealth Act No. 186, as amended. 
(e)  HDMF - refers to the Home Development and Mutual Fund created under 
President Decree No. Republic Act No. 9679.  
(f)  
Mortality Data - refers to the Information indicated In the Death Certificate duly 
registered with the Local Civil Registrar in accordance with Act No. 3753.  
(g)  Personal Information - refers to any Information whether recorded in a material 
form or not, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be 
reasonably and directly ascertained by the entity holding the information, or 
when put together with other information would directly and certainly identify 
an individual.  
(h)  PHIC - refers to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation created under 
Republic Act No. 7875, as amended.  
(i)  
SSS - refers to the Social Security System established under Republic Act No. 
1161, as amended.  
 
SECTION 4. Philippine Death Check Register. - There shall be established a 
Philippine Death Check (PDC) Register to be maintained by the Philippine Statistics 
Authority (PSA). The PDC is a centralized and electronic database containing mortality 
data registered with the Local Civil Registrar. PSA shall ensure the security and 
integrity of the PDC by safeguarding these from data breach and any other mode of 
tampering data to perpetrate fraud;  
  
Once death Is registered with the Local Civil Registry, the Information shall be 
immediately uploaded to the Philippine Death Check Registrar Electronic System.  


 
The PSA, in coordination with the Department of Information and Communication 
Technology (DICQ and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) shall Implement such 
programs to facilitate Immediate access by PSA to mortality data registered with the 
Local Civil Registrars.  
 
SECTION 5. Online Death Verification System. - The PSA shall establish an Online 
Death Verification System, which shall be a centralized and online system for death 
verification that shall ensure timely detection and prevention of identity theft of 
deceased persons.  
 
The PSA, through the Online Death Verification System shall verify the death of the 
data subject upon receipt of information necessary to verify the identity of the data 
subject, as may be required In the Implementing Rules and Regulations, and shall 
immediately notify COMELEC, PHIC, GSIS, SSS, HDMF, PVAO of the death 
verification result.  
 
Except for COMELEC, PHIC, SSS, GSIS, HDMF, and PVAO, an Information Sharing 
Agreement between PSA and other Government Instrumentalities or Government 
Agencies shall be required prior to being granted access to the Online Death 
Verification System.  
 
SECTION 6. Information Sharing. - The PSA shall Immediately make available to 
the COMELEC Philhealth, GSIS, SSS, HDMF, and PVAO, without cost, such other 
data in the PDC Registrar as may be necessary for the validation of any member or 
beneficiary claim made with said agencies.  
 
SECTION 7. Data Privacy and Confidentiality. - Government instrumentalities and 
agencies granted access under Section 5 of this Act shall ensure at all times the 
confidentiality of any personal information that comes to its knowledge and 
possession, and the same shall be used solely for verification and authentication 
purposes.  
 


SECTION 8. Death Repotting and Registration. - To ensure an up-to-date death 
information system. Section 6 of Act No. 3753 or otherwise known as the Law on 
Registry of Civil Status Is hereby amended as follows:  
 
SECTION 6. Death certificate and register. — No human body shall be 
buried unless the proper death certificate has been presented and recorded 
in the office of the local civil registrar. The following physician who attended 
the deceased or, in his default the health officer concerned, or in default of 
the latter, any member of the family of the deceased or any person having 
knowledge of the death, shall report the same to the local health authorities, 
who shall Issue a death certificate and shall order the same to be recorded 
In the office of the local civil registrar (LCR) WITHIN 48 HOURS FROM THE 
DEATH OF THE DECEDENT. The death certificate, which shall be issued 
by the attending physician of the deceased or, in his default, by the proper 
health officer, shall contain the following Mortality Data be furnished by the 
person reporting the death; (a) date and place of death; (b) full name, (c) 
age, (d) sex, (e) occupation or profession, (f) residence; (g) status as 
regards marriage, (h) nationality of the deceased, and (I) probable cause of 
death.  
 
During epidemics, bodies may be buried provided the proper death 
certificates have been secured, which shall be registered not later 9 than 
five days after the burial of the body.  
 
THE LCR SHALL REGISTER THE MORTALITY DATA IN PDC 
REGISTRAR IMMEDIATELY WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOURS 
FROM THE TIME OF RECEIPT.  
 
SECTION 9. Implementing Rules and Regulation. - The Philippine Statistics 
Authority shall issue rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act within 
one hundred twenty (120) days from the effectivity of this Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Appropriation. - The amount necessary to carry out the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be sourced from any available funds of the National 


Treasurer, and is hereby appropriated and authorized to be released for its initial 
operations.  
 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, such sections or parts not affected thereby shall remain in full force 
and effect.  
 
SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, decrees, executive orders, 
proclamations and administrative regulations or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are 
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
 
SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspaper of general 
circulation.  
 
Approved,