In line with the celebration of the 33rd Civil Registration Month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Central Office conducted culminating activities for the month-long celebration: the 3rd National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Quiz Bee for Local Civil Registry Offices (LCROs) and the Data Dissemination Forum on CRVS on 27 to 28 February 2023.

This year’s quiz bee was conducted face-to-face for the first time and was held at Luxent Hotel, Quezon City. It was participated by 17 contestants from LCROs selected by the different PSA Regional Statistical Services Offices (RSSOs) to represent their respective regions.

Among the 17 contestants, Romeo Alcantara, Jr. from the City Civil Registry Office of Makati, National Capital Region was declared champion, followed by Roberto R. Guieb from Region IX and Crisha Mae G. Paitan from Region X, first and second runners up, respectively.

The CRVS Quiz Bee is an annual activity of the PSA - Civil Registration Service to strengthen its partnership with the different LCROs and an information campaign to disseminate its new business processes, policies, and procedures relating to civil registration and vital statistics as well as its new programs and projects.

Meanwhile, the Data Dissemination Forum on CRVS aims to highlight the updates on Civil Registration and the results of the 2021 Vital Statistics. The activity was attended by the different stakeholders and partners of the PSA including members of the Inter-Agency Committee on CRVS, private partners such as Unisys Managed Services Corporation and Pilipinas Teleserv Inc., other government agencies, and PSA officials and personnel.

Engr. Elna Ruth F. Casasola, Officer-in-Charge of the Vital Statistics Division, presented the results of the 2021 Registered Birth, Marriage, and Death Statistics. Her presentation focused on the major data processed by the PSA. Three government offices with notable contributions to the improvement of population and health statistics were invited, represented by Undersecretary Lisa Grace S. Bersales from the Commission on Population and Development, Dr. Maria Midea M. Kabamalan from the University of the Philippines Population Institute, and Ms. Charity L. Tan from the Department of Health, who discussed the implications of the findings on the country’s policies and programs.

Furthermore, updates on the Civil Registry System-Information Technology Project Phase II (CRS-ITP2) were also  highlighted  by  Engr. Marizza B. Grande, Assistant National Statistician of the Civil Registration Service which includes the expanded services of the CRS-ITP2, the improved processing time in requesting civil registry documents, as well as the newly established CRS Outlets.

In addition, Officer-in-Charge Emilio C. Querubin Jr. of the Civil Register Management Division presented the ongoing birth registration initiatives of the PSA namely the PhilSys Birth Registration Assistance Project and the Special Consular Missions to Sabah in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

For the statistics on the frontline services of the Civil Registration Service, Emily R. Macario, Registration Officer III of the Civil Registration Services Division, presented the volume of transactions of the outlets per different kinds of request.

During the closing program, a synthesis of the event was given by Anesia  B.  Babante,  Chief  Administrative  Officer of the PSA RSSO VII-Eastern Visayas, and as a way forward, she presented the challenges which the PSA may encounter in relation to the agency’s mandate, commitment, as well as to its major programs and project.

- Civil Registration Service, Civil Registration and Central Support Office