Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

is RECEIVED

= pare:27 OCT 2016

“a

Quezon City cae

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Ses

HOUSE BILL NO,

Introduced by HON. TEDDY BRAWNER BAGUILAT, JR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Ivis in the best interest of the State to maintain a functional and reliable stem that
is (1) efficient and responsive to the needs of the Filipino people; and (2) appropriately aligned with

international standards,

il registration

‘Through the official registration of births, deaths, marriages and adoption, Filipinos have the
documentary evidence needed to secure recognition of their legal identity, family
nationality, and all other related civil rights. ‘This recognition is increasingly important in light of the
anticipated acceleration of cross-border movements of Filipinos globally and within the ASEAN.
Economic Community.

relationships,

Fnsu

1g birth registration within a comprehensive civil registry is also crucial in the child protection
framework. It contributes to protecting children from the risks of exploitation, abuse, child labor,
carly matriage and etroncous inclusion in the adult justice system, The lack of a birth certificate
condemns a person to lifelong ex
entitlements and opportuni
who do not have birth certificates and other civil registration documents. According to the NCIP
Commi
planning statistics of the government. ‘This in turns affects the responsiveness and appropriateness

lusion because identification is needed to access various services,

. Indigenous peoples are among the most marginalized populations

ioner for the Cordillera, ninety-two percent of indigenous peoples are not included in the

of policies and programs to address the needs of indigenous peoples.

‘A functional and reliable civil registration system also facilitates efficient and effective social services
i

planning and delivery, and produces accurate statistics that are the foundation for building a

modern, efficient and informed public administration s

cem. ‘Thus, it helps realize human, legal and

economic rights as well as provide for social protection. They play a key role in realizing good
governance from the local to national levels of our government.



‘This bill seeks to mandate a more efficient and locally-responsive system for recording vital events

through simplified procedures and the application of appropriate technologies. It also aims to
standardize civil registration procedures to aid the national government, local government units, and
the general public. Specific provisions are included for the establishment of a Culturally-sensitive
Registration System that is appropriate to the unique cultural practices and identification
IPs. The bill will strengthen the provisions in the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act regarding the

ystems of

registration of indigenous peoples and seeks to encourage increased participation of IPs in the civil

registration system,

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
So
| —_—

HON. TEDDY BRAWNER BAGUILAT, JR

Lone District, Ifugao


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL, no A215

Introduced by HON. TEDDY BRAWNER BAGUILAT, JR.

AN ACI
PROVIDING FOR A MORE RESPONSIVE CIVIL REGISTRATION SYSTEM
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assemble

Section 1, Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Civil Registration Act of 2016"

Section 2, Declaration of Policy. - ‘The Si
registration

fate shall promote and maintain a more responsive civil

tem. Towards this end, standardization amid modernization of eivil registration
procedutes is necessary to establish the identity of the individual for administrativ
purposes, Moreover, efficient and simplified procedures in recording vital events must be applied in
civil repistration for the benefit of the general public.

and legal

Section 3. Coverage. - ‘This law shall embrace all acts affecting the civil status of persons in the
Philippines and all Filipino citizens abroad.

Section 4. Definition of Terms.

a) Civil Registration - refers to the continuous, permanent, universal and compulsory
documentation of occurrence and characteristics of vital events, including any modifications thereof
during the lifetime of a person, namely births, deaths, marriages, judicial and administrative orders
and legal instruments.

b) Civil Register - refers to the various civil registry books where events and judicial decrees
concemning the civil status of persons shall be recorded and kept in the archives of the Local Civil
Registry Office, Philippine Consulates, National Statistics Office, and Shari'a District /Cireuit C



©) Civil Registry Documents - refers to all certificates and documents relating to civil status of
person which are recorded and kept in the archives of the Local Civil Registry Office, Philippine
Consulates, National Statistics Office, and Shari!a Distriet/ Circuit Courts.

@) Philippine Association of Civil Registears (PACR) ~ refers to the national professional
association of Civil Registrars of the Philippines.

© Civil Registrar General (CRG) - refers to the National Statis
Authority (PSA) in his/her ex-officio capacity, formerly the head of the Office of the Civil Registrar
General (OCRG).

ian of the Philippine Statistical

) Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) ~ refers to the central Statistical Authority of the
Republic of the Philippines headed by the National Statistician, formerly known as the National
Statistics Office (NSO).

Local Civil Registrar (LCR) - refers to the head of the Local Civil Registry Office (CRO).

h) Consul General/Consul/Vice Consul (CG) ~ refers to the Consular Officials in Philippine
ipinos in a foreign

Consular Offices acting as Registrars of civil registry documents involving Fi
country.

i) District/Cireuit Registrar (D/CR) - refers to the Clerk of a Shari'a Distriet/Circuit Court
performing civil registration functions with regards to Muslim matriages, Divorces, Revocation of
Divorces and Conversions under ‘Title VI, Book ‘Two of Presidential Decree No.1083, otherwise

known as the Code of Muslim Personal Law

i) Barangay Registration Agents (BRA) ~ refers to the Barangay Secretary or his/her authorized

representative who is mandated by law to assist in civil registration, particularly in the compulsory

nces of births, deaths and marriages from all Barangays of the Philippines

urt

reporting of all o¢

using appropriate electronic devie

k) Local Archive Authority (LAA) ~ refers to the LCR or his authorized official 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 IL.CROs.

1) National Civil Registry Database (NCRD) ~ refers to all digitized civil registry documents
from all LCRO, CG and D/CR officially linked for multilateral benefits.


m) National Security Paper (NS

to the Security Paper, printed by a government
printer with overt and covert features, to be exclusively used for all certifications from 1
the NCRD digitized archives.

Os using,

1) Barangay Civil Registration §
at the barangay level involving all barangay official
(C/MCRs) in civil registration work, as stated in
the Local Government Code of the Philippines.

system (BCRS) ~ refers to a strategy to facilitate civil registration
sisting the City/Municipal Civil Registrar
tion 394 (d) (5) R.A. 7160, otherwise known as

©) Local Health Authority ~ refers to the Local Government Department Head of the City or
Municipal Health Office of the every Local Government Unit.

istration,

p) Legal Instruments - refers to the affidavits/affirmations pertaining to civil re

4) Indigenous Cultural Communities /Indigenous Peoples ~ Pursuant to the definition in the
Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997, refers to a group of people or homogenous societies
identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized
community on communally bounded and defined
ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories

tory, and who have, under claims of

sharing,

common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have,

through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions
and cultures, beeame historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/I
likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the

s shall

populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of
inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, oF the establishment of present state boundaries,

who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may
have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral

domains;

Section 5. Duties
Registrar General s

and Functions of the Civil Registrar General (CRG). - ‘The Office of the Civil
all have the following duties and functions:

a) prepare and promulgate the

mplementing rules and regulations pertaining to civil
registration laws and all subsequent issuances relative thereto, in close collaboration with the DILG
and the PACR;

b) exercise technical supervision over the City/Municipal Civil Registrars (C/MCRs) and other

Local Civil Registry Officers;

©) issue circulars and memoranda pertaining to eivil registration enhancements as part of the
functions of the OCRG;
@) provide ways and means to assist Civil Registrars for the reconstruction of Local Archives

the need arises; and,


©) act as the national central repository of all civil registry documents submitted to the OCR
of the Philippines, for back up database and statistical

for archiving from all civil registry offic

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 government 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:

a) As much as practicable, assist in the preparation, accept and regi
documents occurring within his or her jurisdiction affecting the civil status of persons;

or all registrable events and

b) File regi

able certificates and documents presented to him or her for entry;

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

d) Issue certified transcripts or copies of any
of the prescribed fees;

stificate or document registered, upon payment

©) Classify, digitize, index and preserve all registered documents in accordance with the
appropriate are!

ving procedures;

f) Administer oaths, free of charge, for civil registry purposes;
2) File, keep and preserve in a secured place the civil registry books as required by laws
h) Receive all registrable documents and transcribe in the corresponding eivil register all

documents accepted for registration;

i) 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 to the local treasurer;


)) Conduct community education campaigns on vital registration and assist in the preparation
‘of demographics and other statistics for the local government unit concerned;

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

} 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 bis files, in cases 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 available at all times the civil registry forms in the civil registry office;

©) Be responsible for the issuance of certifications as the Local Archive Authority (LAA) and in
the management of the local outlet of National Security Paper (NS A) using the NCRD;

p) Be authorized to solemnize marriage within his or her jurisdictio:

ise quasi judicial functions in all cases involving changes and correction in the eivil

Q
register as provided for by law; and

1) Employ lawful measu
any form of corruption pertaining to both its hard copies and digital copies on file, ‘This endeavor
SECPA

s to ensure the integrity of the eivil register, preserve the same against

shall pertain not only to the local archives but to the files of its counterparts in the use of NS

in all processes of the NCRD operations.

Section 7. Civil Registry Books - ‘The C/MCRs shall keep and preserve in their offices the following
books: (1) Register of Births; (2) Register of Foundlings; (3) Register of Deaths; (4) Register of
Marriages; + of Court Decrees or Orders; (6) Register of Legal Instruments; (7) Register of
Applications for Marriage License; (8) Register of Conversion to Islam; (9) Register of Muslim
Divorces; (10) Register of Revocation of Muslim Divorces; (11) Register of ICCs/IPs Marriage
Dissolutions; (12) Register of ICCs/1Ps Revocation of Marriage Dissolutions,

Regi

Section 8, Culturally-sensitive Registration System - In collaboration with the National Commission
(NCIP), Philippine As

A), and distinguished anthropologists and selected elders and leaders of IPs

for Indigenous Peopk ociation of Civil Registrars, National Commission on
Culture and Arts (NC
shall establish an Indigenous Peoples Civil Registration System (IPCRS) that is sensitive and

Provided, that the

appropriate to the unique cultural practices and identification systems of IPs
IPCRS shall be harmonized with existing laws and systems on civil registry.


‘The IPCRS shall take into account the various ethnic affiliations of the IPS in the country. For this
purpose, the NSO 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 ot institutions of the facts
of establishing filial bonds between or among,

and information contained in said documents and ¢a
parent or parents and child.

In the absence of any identifying document, the self-ascription or asctiption by any of the parents or
tribal leader or elder shall suffice to establish the identity of IPs when applying with the LCR for

recording birth, marriage or death,

Section 9. Registration and Certification of Birth - ‘The declaration of the physician, midwife, nurse,
attendant at birth, or in default thereof, the declaration of either or both patents ot any p

has knowledge of the facts of birth of the newborn child shall be sufficient for the registration of
birth in the civil register. ‘Lhe duly accomplished Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) containing the
above declaration shall be submitted for registration to the C/MCR where the birth occurred within
thirty (30) calendar days after the date of birth by the aforementioned persons, declaring the

.) date of birth; d.) place of birth; a) name of mother; e)
&) citizenship of the father; h.) date and place of

son who,

following: a.) name of the childs b.) sex;
citizenship of the mother; f.) name of fathe
‘ents; and i.) such other data as may be required in the implementing rules and

marriage of ps
regulations of this Act,

Birth and other civil registry records of persons not bearing the usual middle initial or middle name

fore all government and private transactions where these

shall have equal ac

documents are presented,

ptability and respect bi

Abandoned children or foundiings, with parents, guardians or relatives being unknown, ot a child
committed in an orphanage or charitable institution with unknown facts of birth and parentage, shall
be registered by the finder or charitable institution concerned within thirty (30) calendar days before
the office of the C/MCR after the date of commitment.

A person who has not been registered before the office of the C/MCR whete he ot she was born
ibed period of thirty (30) calendar days shall apply for delayed registration,

within the pres

\ deceased person's birth may also be registered on a delayed registration basis by his ot 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.


Onc 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 repistered.

‘The record of a person's birth shall be kept strictly confidential and no information relating thereto
shall be issued except upon request of the following:

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

b) His spouse, his parent or parents, his direct descendants, or guardian or institution legally in-
charge of him, if he is a minor,

©) The Court or proper public officials whenever absolutely neces
or other official proceedings to determine the identity of the childs
or her birth; and

ary in administrative, judicial
or other circumstances:

parents

surrounding hi

a) Incase of person’s death, the nearest kin.

In recording the bisth of IPs delivered in the traditional customs and pr
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 L«
Registrar (LCR without need for further proo!),

ices of the indigenous

al Civil

Section 10, Registration and Certification of Death. - The physician who attended the deceased or,
in his default, the health officer concemed, or in default of the latter, any member of the family of
the deceased, or any person having knowledge of the d

before the office of the C/MCR of the place of death,

h, shall cause the registration of the same

‘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 data which shall be furnished by the
person reporting the death: a) full name of the deceased; b) sex; €) age; d) civil status; e) nationality;
date of death; g) place of death; h) full names of the deceased’s parents; i.) cause of death; and j.)

such other data which may be required,

Informants shall register the death of a deceased legally married woman using the surname of her
immediate surviving husband.

Registration shall be made within thirty (30) calendar days after the time of death before the office
of the C/MCR whete the death occurred.

In the absence of the 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 his office, the death should be reported within forty-eight (48) hours after its occurrence by
the nearest of kin of the deceased or by any person having knowledge of the death 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 portion of the Certificate of Death for burial and registration
purposes.

When the death is under medico-legal examination, or where the case of death is under investigation
by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) or other investigative agency of the government and
where the body of the deceased is subjected to autopsy or examination of the medico-legal officers
and the deceased has not been registered in the place of the death, the head of the NBI or of other
investigative agency ot his authorized representative shall cause the registration of such death
through the health officer of the city or municipality where the death occurred.

The medico-legal officer shall accomplish and sign the medical certification portion of certificate of
death, subject to the review of the Local Health Authority.

Registration of fetal death shall follow the same procedures in the registration of death,
A deceased person’s facts of death that has not been registered within thirty (30) calendar days
period after the time of death shall be allowed delayed registration before the office of the C/MCR
where he died.

Out-of-town registration of death may be allowed.

The report as to the circumstances of death of IPs by any member of the family of the deceased or

by the tribal doctor in attendance during such death shall likewise be conclusive on the LCR withour
need of further proof. Section 6 of Act No. 3753 shall apply only when the death happened in a
hospital and was attended to by a physician,

Section 11, Registration of the application for Marriage License. - ‘The local civil registrar concerned
¢ in the application for marriage
me are received. He shall record in said register

shall enter all applications for marriage licenses filed before his ofti

license register strictly in the order in which th

the names of the applicants, the date on which the marriage license was issued, and such other ds

as may be necessary.

hall be
the Family

Section 12, Application for Marriage License. - All applications for marriage licens
governed by the pertinent provisions of Executive Order No. 209, otherwise knowr
Code of the Philippine

1s amended.

Section 13. Registration and Certification of Marriage. — All solemnizing officers

all send four (4)
copies of the certificate of martiage for registration before the office of the C/MCR where the


ndar days after an ordinary marriage and within (30)
requirement.

marriage took place within fifteen (15) cal
calendar days for marriages exempt from licens

A person whose marriage has not been registered within the prescribed period shall be allowed for

delayed registration,
Out-of-town registration of marriage shall be allowed.

‘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 without need for further proof. For
this purpose, the NCIP shall submit to the NS

(© a list of IPs recognized by each indigenous
community to solems customary laws or practices, ‘The NSO shall issue
a Certificate of Registration of Authority to Solemnize Marriage (CRASM) to such IPs for fi

ve marriage according to its

In the case of indigenous communities whose traditional marriage ceremony does not require the
presence of a solemnizing officer, as determined by the NCIP, the report by the contracting parties
shall be conclusive upon the LCR without the need for further proof
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 NSO and the
LLCRs 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 leacler or elder shall be

cept personal confirmation,

conclusive upon the LCR

‘The dissolution of marriage of IPs following customary indigenous laws and practices shall be
directly recorded with the LCR without the need of court intervenion: Provided, ‘That such facts and
information shall be confirmed orally or in writing by a tribal leader or elder of the indigenous

ny of the spouses belongs.

community to whieh

Section 14, 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 same parties, their first marriage shall prevail, not the

registered marriage of such parti

Section 15. Registration of Solemnizing Officers, - All solemnizing officers shall be registered with
the CRG, except those who are not required to be so registered as provided by law or existing rules.

‘The C/MCRs may
existence of religious sects.

sist the Local Chief Executive in determining documents pertaining to the



Section 16, Registration of Court Orders. - In case a court issues an order concerning the status of a
person, it shall be the duty of the clerk of court to advise the successful petitioner to have the order
registered before the C/MCR where the coutt is functioning.

In the cases where another person may apply to register a court order other than the petitioner
before the office of the C/MCR, the later shall verify if the copy of the order is authentic, otherwi
he shall deny registration thereof.

‘The local civil registry office where the event of the order was registered shall forward a certified
true copy of the order to the C/MCR where the event affected we

originally registered. The latter
shall make the proper annotations in the document and at the applicable registry book. He shall
likewis

end a certified true copy of the annotated document and the registered court order to the
Civil Registrar General,

Each registered document shall be submitted to the Civil Registrar General during the usual
reporting month,

All court orders shall be registered within fifteen (15) days upon its finality, otherwise it shall be

considered as delayed registration,

All court orders shall be effected through annotations in the eivil registry document except in
adoption where the child shall be entitled to the issuance of an amended birth certificate,

Section 17. Registration of Adoption
and exccutory, the original birth certificate shall be amended. An amended certificate of live birth of
the adopted shall be issued by the C/MCR where the birth of the adopted child was recorded. Such
te of live birth 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 it

After the court decision on adoption eases has become final

certifi

1s of information:

a) Name of the adopted - the first name of the adopted child shall be the same in the original
stificate .of live birth unless the order of adoption carried an order changing it to
‘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 surname of the adopting mother.

other name.

‘The surname of the adopted child shall be thae 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 name 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 certificate of
live birth as the father or mother, as the case may be; and

©) Other information - other information about the adopting parents such as citizenship and
religion shall be indicated in the appropri
where legally married husband and wife jointly adopt the child, the date and place of martiage of the
adopting parent
the adopted child,

¢ spaces of the amended certificate of live birth. In cases

shall be entered in the appropriate spaces of the amended certificate of live birth of

d) — Noamendment or changes in the civil registry books ~ in all cases of adoption, no changes

in the civil registry books where the original birth records was duly registered shall be effected,
except for the marginal annotation by virtue of the adoption deeree.

In case the adopted child is a foundling, the basis for issuance of an Amended Certificate of Live
Birth shall be the court order,

Section 18, Registration of Presumptive De
presumably dead for purposes of rema

h. - A judicial order or dk
shall be registered at the C/MCR where the first

declaring a person

marriage was registered. For the purpose of contracting a subsequent marriage, annotation shall be

recorded in the marriage register as well as in the marriage certificate

Se

involving civil s

ided Abroad. - All for
s of persons residing in the Philippines shall be registered before the Local Civil

tion 19, Registration of Foreign Court Orders De

ign court orders

av

Registry Office where the affected document is registered, ‘These foreign court orders, to be legal
and binding in Philippine jurisdiction, must first be confirmed by the appropriate Regional ‘Trial

Court which have the lawful jurisdietion over such ease

Section 20, Registration of Legal Instruments. - As a general rule, all legal instraments shall be

registered in the civil registry of the place where they were executed except the following:

a) Affidavit of reappearance - where the parties to the subsequent marriage are residing;

b) Marriage Settlement- where the marriage was recorded;

© Admission of Paternity, Acknowledgment, Legitimation, Voluntary Emancipation of Minor,
Axtificial Insemination - where the birth of the child was recorded.

All legal instruments executed abroad shall be registered before the Philippine consulate of that
country or at the Local Civil Registry Office where the affected document is regi
legal instruments which may be executed in the Philippines.

istered including all



All legal instruments shall be effected through marginal annotations on the civil registry document
and at the appropriate civil register.

Section 21, Registration of Affidavit of Reappearance, - A sworn 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 22. 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 C/MCR where the birth of the child was registered for registration in the
Register of Legal Instruments and proper annotation in the Register of Births.

Section 23: Registration of Muslim Filipinos and Children in Need of Special Protection (CNSP). -
Muslims Filipinos and CNSP, by reason of their socio-cultural, religious, and indigenous peculiarities
shall be registered as follows:

4) Muslim Pilipinos- civil registration shall be governed by Presidential Decree 1083, Executive

Order 157, and Administrative Order No.1, Series of 2005;

b) _ CNSP- civil registeation shall follow the procedures provided under (
Circular 2004-01 and other promulgations by the OCRG in coordination with the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other concerned agencies,

2RG Memorandum,

Section 24, Barangay Civil Registration System (BCRS), - All elected and/or appointed batangay
officials and emplo}
through the BCRS.

, shall assist the LCR in civil registration within their area of jurisdiction
Continuing. training and capacity building shall be conducted by the PSA,
1LGUs, PACR, and other accredited government or private institutions, for the upgrading of the

knowledge and skills of all partners in civil registration in the Barangay.

Section 25. Civil Registry Documents are Public Documents. - ‘The registry books making up the
civil register, the office files in hard copies and its corresponding digital files of the LCROs,
certifications or certified copies from thes

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. ‘Thes

public documents shall be open to the public, except those documents which are
to be kept strictly confidential as provided for by law, during office hours and shall be kept in a
secured place which shall be furnish to the civil registrar at the expense or of the funds of the local
government concerned.


The civil registrar shall not, under any circumstances, permit any document entrusted to his cate to
be removed from his office, except by lawful order of a court, in which ease the proper receipt shall
be taken

The civil registrar may

ae certified copies of any document filed, upon payment of proper fees

fixed by law or the local ordinance.

Section 26. Expenses of the Office of the Civil Registrar. ~ All expenses in connection with the
establishment and operations of the civil registear’s office shall be paid out of local funds and for
this purpose, the Sanggunian of municipalities or cities concerned shall make the necessary
appropriations available in the local annual budget.

Any provision of the law to the contrary notwithstanding, IPs shall be exempted from the payment
of all fees in connection with the recording of their birth, marriage, and death at the Local Civil
Registry (LCR) Office and shall exemption shall extend to any fine or
are likewise exempted from the payment of notarial fees and documentary stamp tax in cases where
the recording of the birth, marriage, or death requires the execution of affidavits or sworn

statements and similar documents.

¢ for late registration. ‘They

Section 27. Free Registration of Vital Civil Registry Events.
marriages and foundlings ate hereby declared as a National Policy, therefore, no fees shall be
collected in the registration of th

The registration of births, deaths,

events, whether or not these are registered on time or delayed
with respect to their reglementary periods, All supporting documents as prerequisite to bisth
registration shall also be free,

tion certificates shall be free. For issuance of sui
try documents, a standard fee prescribed by the CRG shall be coll

The first copies of civil n

ceding copies of

ed

civil rep

For registration of Court orders, le

al insteuments and registrable administrative orders, a standard
fee shall be collected, ‘The local government unit may collect

-asonable service fees and charges by
virtue of an Ordinance for the purpose.

Section 28. Penal Provisions - Any person whose duty is to report any fact concerning the civil

status of persons and who knowingly fails to perform such duty, and any person convicted of having

violated the provision

of this Act shall be punished in accordance with law.

Any person who shall knowingly make false statements in the forms furnished and shall present the
n six (6)
sand Pesos (Php 10,000.00) or

same for entry in the civil registers shall be penalized with an imprisonment of not less tha

months nor more than six (6) years or a fine of not le
both upon the discretion of the Court.

s than Ten Thor



‘The attending physician, nurse, midwife, hospital administrator, or any person having been charged
to cause the registration of live births attended by them but who knowingly fails or withholds the
delivery of copies of the cettifieate/s of live bisth to the city or municipal civil registrar for

registration, shall be penalized by imprisonment of not more than six (6) months, or by a fine of not

more than Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,000.00), or both, upon the discretion of the Court

Any priest or minister solemnizing macriage 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; of any bishop or officer, pri

st, or minister of any church, religion or s

ct, the regulations
and practices bans or publication previous to the solemnization of marriage, who
authorized the immediate solemnization of marriage that is subsequently declared illegal, or any

ion of this

whereof requ

Act shall be

officer, priest or minister solemnizing marriage in violation of the prov’
punished with imprisonment of not less than six (6) months but not to exceed three (3) years, or by
4 fine not less than Five Thousand Pesos Php 5,000.00) nor more than ‘Twenty ‘Thou
(Php 20,000.00) or the revocation of the authority to solemnize marriage, or all three, upon the
discretion of the Court.

ind Pesos

Any officer, priest, or minister who fails to deliver copies of the certificate of martiage to the city or
municipal civil registrar within the period fixed by law shall be punished by imprisonment of not
mote than six (6) months, ot by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,000.00), of
both, at the discretion of the Court

Section 29. Digital/Flectronic Reporting of Births, Deaths and Marriages. ~ ‘here shall be a
compulsory reporting of all occutrences of Births, Deaths and Marriages from all Barangays of the
Philippines. As Barangay Registration Agents, all Barangay
representatives are hereby mandated to report these events using appropriate and duly-inspected
to the LCRO and other government agenci
the status of registration of vital civil registry events and shall assist the subsequent registration

nt to Digital/Hlectronic Reporting of Births, Death and
aangay Registration Agents shall be provided by the PSA, LGU, PACK and other
all equip Barangay
Registration Agents with the knowledge and skills needed to properly implement digital /electronic

retaries o their authorized

secure electronic dev mandated by law to monitor

thereof. Continuing skills training rele

accredited government and private institutions and organizations. This training s
civil registration
Section 30. 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 31. Digitization of all Civil Registry Files. ~ All registered documents in the LCRO 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 32, Digital Linkages and Interconnection of All Participating LCROs. ~ All capable ILCROs
shall be interconnected to facilitate retrieval, on line certification
generation using LGU-linked NCRD digital files. Participating LCROs are hereby authorized to

ssue certifications from NCRD for and in behalf of other LCROs subject to pertinent laws, rules or

regulations on the confidentiality of birth records.

nd for local government revenue

Section 33. Validity and Acceptability of NCRD NSECPA, — All documents issued using NSECPA
from NCRD being public documents shall be prima facie of the facts therein contained. NSECPA

shall be presumed valid for all intents and purposes relative to the identity, status, rights, statistica
values and other relevant data pertaining to its document owners, end users and concerned
government agencies. ‘These documents shall be valid without need of authentication from any
agency of government,

Section 34. Income Sharing Among Participating LGUs ~The net income in the issuance of
NSECPA certifications using the NCRD shall be equitably shared by the Issuing LCRO and the
LAA LCRO for each document released. The software used for the NCRD processing should
include among others, a feature of automatic electronic debit and credit of income sharing among,
LGUs.

Section 35, Depository Bank in NCRD Proc The Land Bank of the Philippines (I.BP) shall
k for NERD monetary processing.

be the depository

Section 36, Appropriations. ‘There shall be an initial appropriation of One Hundred Fifty Million
Pesos (Php 150,000,000.00) in the Genceal Appropriations Act, which will be included in the
Department of Interior and Local Governments’ budget for the initial development of software and

the

lishment of the NCRD. All local government units shall likewise provide substantial
appropriations in their respective annual budgets for the digitization their LCRO files.

Section 37. Mandatory Review. - ‘This Ac
every ten (10) years to make the law more responsive to the needs of times. ‘The review shall be

shall undergo @ mandatory review on its provisions

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 38. Implementing Rules and Regulations — ‘The PSA, in close coordination and consultation
with the DILG and PACR shall promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations within six (6)
months from the effectively of this Act.

Section 39
or unconstitutional, other parts or prov
be in full force and effect.

ppatability Clause. - Any part or provision of this Act which shall be held to be invalid

ions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to

Section 40. Repealing Clause. - All laws, rules, regulations, orders, memoranda or circulars
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 41. Retroactivity. - his Act shall have retroactive effect insofar, as it does not prejudice or

impair vested or acquired rights.

Section 42. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official
Gazette or in any two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,