QUEZON CITY (Feb. 26, 2014) – Agusan Norte First District Representative Lawrence “Law” Fortun has authored House Bill No. 4014, otherwise known as “The Comprehensive Civil Registration Act of 2014” in the House of Representatives.
The bill, which seeks to establish a comprehensive and more responsive civil registration system in the country, provides for mechanisms for standardization and modernization of civil registration procedures to ensure timely, efficient and accurate registration of vital events in the life of each Filipino individual. Among the salient provisions of the bill are: a) prohibition of any individual or hospital or clinic from withholding the release or refusing to issue birth/death certificates or documents relating thereto by reason of non-payment of financial obligations with the hospitals/clinics, b) setting up of a comprehensive Barangay Registration System, c) free delayed birth registration for reason of poverty, distance and/or literacy issue, d) free delayed birth registration for indigenous peoples (IPs).
Fortun said “civil registration is necessary as it provides the means for the establishment of the identity and the recording of the vital events in the life of a person which are vital in the recognition and protection of his civil rights. It is an essential system by which the citizenship of a person is established and his or her inherent rights as a person are respected.”
The young solon added that “civil registration affords accurate demographic data and other vital information that are crucial to the government’s planning and policy decisions as wells as the delivery of such basic services as health, infrastructure, education and social services“
Because of its enormous importance, Fortun said there is a pressing need to introduce and implement a comprehensive and truly responsive civil registration system. He expressed concern over “the sad fact that our current civil registration system suffers from deficiencies and flaws that deprive individuals of their inherent right to identity and recognition as citizens, thereby denying them also of their civil rights.”
According to Fortun, estimates have it that presently the births of over 2.6 million Filipino children have not been registered, not to mention the millions of Filipino adults, including a significant number of indigenous peoples, whose births have also not been registered. “The reasons in most of these cases have consistently been due to poverty, distance and lack of literacy,” the solon said.
Fortun likewise assailed the practice of some hospitals and similar facilities in denying the underprivileged of their fundamental right to identity. The young solon averred: “The situation is exacerbated by some individuals and medical institutions tasked to register or facilitate registration of births but delay or refuse to do so because of unpaid financial obligation on the part of the family of the new-born child. This is also true in the case of deaths of persons whose families could not immediately settle in full their obligation to hospitals or clinics. These are effectively deprivation of their rights by reason of poverty.”
The house bill thus provides for, among other mechanisms for comprehensive and responsive civil registration, a Barangay Civil Registration System, Free Delayed Registration Program for unregistered births due to poverty and Free Delayed Registration for Indigenous Peoples.
It also prohibits and penalizes deliberate delay or refusal to deliver certificates of live birth or certificates of death and related documents to the office of the local civil registration for reasons of failure to settle hospital bills. “There are other ways by which a hospital, clinic or medical facility can legally seek payment from the family of the newly-born or the deceased, but not by detaining documents required in the issuance birth or death certificates,” Fortun said. “That is utterly unjust to the less-privileged,” Fortun added.
“As civil registration is critical in the recognition and protection of the civil rights of individuals, it should be made available to every Filipino,” the Agusan solon said.
Lawig Katawhan
Lawig Katawhan 