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Thursday, March 28, 2024

PSA told: clarify no-expiry validity of birth certificates

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THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) was asked to clarify to all government agencies the lifetime validity of birth certificates.

“We are born only once and the circumstances and details of our birth do not change,” Senator Joel Villanueva pointed out over the weekend.

Villanueva pressed the PSA anew on the need to clear the issue in order to “deal away with the unnecessary need of securing the document issued within the past six months.”

Villanueva earlier raised the concerns conveyed by Filipinos, particularly jobseekers, griping over what they found to be “the inconvenient and burdensome expense” that the Senator suggested, “could be easily dealt away with if government agencies requiring it recognize the lifetime validity of the document.

“It is very clear that birth certificates are valid for a lifetime,” the Senator stressed in a statement, adding: “it is not like canned goods that contain the ‘best before’ markings or expiration date.” The lawmaker lamented that “para pong pinagkakakitaan natin ang ating kababayan tuwing nagsusumite sila ng birth certificate para sa iba’t ibang requirement ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno.” [It is like they are profiting from our countrymen every time they need to submit birth certificates required by varous government agencies.]

Conveying public concerns reaching his office, Villanueva pressed PSA officials anew to clarify the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of other government entities about the lifetime validity of birth certificates.

In turn, PSA Deputy National Statistician Leo Malagar admits the agency changes every six months the security paper where birth certificates are printed on; but that does not mean issued documents expire.

“Kailangan po ng mas malinaw at mas maayos na polisiya ang ating mga ahensya pag dating sa validity ng birth certificate, kasi po aanhin ng ating mga kababayan ang kanilang birth certificate kung hindi naman tinatanggap ng ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan?” [Our agencies need a clearer and better policy when it comes to the validity of birth certificates, because our countrymen will get their birth certificates if other government agencies do not accept them?]

The Senator stressed “this issue only shows that we really need to pass this measure,” referring to Senate Bill (SB) 1281 that Villanueva earlier filed.

SB 1281 seeks to prohibit requiring applicants to government services to “submit birth records printed on the most recent version of the security paper used by the PSA, or those certified by the PSA within the past six months.”

“For this purpose, the birth certificate issued or certified by the PSA shall not expire and shall be considered valid at any time,” the bill said. 

Read full article on BusinessMirror

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