The importance of having births registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) cannot be stressed enough, according to PSA officials.
Still, many Lagunenses fail to have their children's births registered with the PSA, especially among those living in rural areas where access to Internet or even basic government services are limited.
This is one of the main reasons the PSA's provincial office decided to bring birth registration down to the barangays, with its Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP).
In coordination with local government units (LGUs) and civil society organizations, the project focused on reaching marginalized communities, including indigenous peoples, senior citizens, and low-income families who previously lacked proper birth records.
“The main beneficiaries of this program are residents in remote areas, indigenous people, and our Muslim brothers and sisters,” PSA Laguna Civil Registration Unit Head Aldrin Salud told media.
BRAP provides free and accessible birth registration services to individuals who have never been officially recorded in government registries and seeks to eliminate barriers in registration such as financial constraints, lack of awareness, and difficulty in accessing civil registration offices.
PSA deploys mobile services in barangays, allowing individuals to apply without traveling long distances. Legal aid was also provided to those requiring supplementary documents or late registration.
“The requirements here are made easier, all that is needed here is municipal form 102, barangay residency certificate, indigency certificate, and even a valid ID to prove his identity. This is enough to be registered in this project,” Salud stated.
In 2024, over 6,500 Lagunenses benefited from the program, and PSA vowed to improve its scope and its quality to serve more residents.
“The system used by our agency’s civil registration services is still constantly being improved to meet the challenge of the modern era. Likewise, the strengthening of internet connections are still our top-tier to make PSA services more effective or efficient,” he said.
(With report from PIA)
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