Not too many people realize how important a birth certificate is until they encounter a snag during legal transactions as a result of erroneous entries on their birth certificate.
This was one of the lessons that Marina Tina Parallon, 20, learned as she was planning for her wedding. She and her fiancée, John Mark Quiñanola, 25, were hoping to get married next month.
But their wedding plans have now been put on hold after Parallon found out she had no record of her birth either at the Philippine Statistics Authority, nor at the Local Civil Registrar in Cebu.
Parallon grew up in an orphanage in Cebu before coming over to Dumaguete City.
“In my early childhood, I was brought to Dumaguete by a certain priest who took care of me. But the priest is no longer in the country,” she said.
A birth certificate is one of the documentary requirements before a couple can secure their marriage license. Because of this, Parallon has sought the assistance of both the City Social Welfare & Development Office, and the LCR in Cebu.
The Philippine Statistics Authority has emphasized the importance of civil registration in an individual’s life, identity, rights, and privileges.
During a meeting of the Provincial Inter-Agency Committee of Civil Registration on Vital Statistics in Dumaguete City, PSA Chief Ariel Fortuito appealed to the parents, as well as the finders of foundlings and children in need of special protection, to register the child accurately after birth.
However, Fortuito said that numerous petitions for corrections on civil registration have been filed at their office due to erroneous entries on the birth certificate.
He also noted that some were filing for late registration as they cannot find their record of birth or they have not been registered since birth.
“During the issuance of birth certificate at a time when typewriters were still used, it is likely that there were some erroneous entries as a result of clerical or typographical errors because of the system used before,” Fortuito explained.
He added that in the process of filling out the birth certificate – which is usually done at the hospital where the mother gave birth – several factors can also come into play that could lead to erroneous entries in the document.
Some of the most common mistakes found in birth certificates include wrong spelling of the name, missing first name, or having “Baby Boy” or “Baby Girl” as the first names.
With this, the PSA here is reminding parents to plan for their baby’s name while the mother is still pregnant.
Fortuito said errors have serious consequences, especially when it concerns a person’s school and government records, applying for a passport, or transacting with agencies that require one’s birth certificate.
PSA’s database on the submitted file of petitions of clerical errors show a voluminous number of requests for correction in civil registry documents have been forwarded.
Fortuito said most offices now only accept corrected civil registry documents during transactions as a result of Republic Act 9048.
“It is necessary for an individual to correct (their civil registry documents) as many agencies now will not accept erroneous entries, knowing that they’re aware of the law that it can administratively be corrected through RA 9048,” said Fortuito.
RA 9048 authorizes the city/municipal civil registrar or the consul general to correct a clerical error or typographical error in an entry, and/or change the first name or nickname in the civil registrar without the need for a judicial proceeding.
The PSA official said that if it is a clerical error or change of first name, the basic requirements would be the birth certificate that needs to be corrected, along with supporting documents such as employment or school records, medical or even Comelec record, to support the correct entries in their erroneous birth certificate.
As provided for under RA 9048, the fee for filing for petition corrections of clerical error is at P1,000 and P3,000 for change of first name. (JCT/PIA7 NegOr)
