The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Provincial Government of Aklan in preparation for the Birth  Registration Project intended for the marginalized communities in the province. This project is in line with the efforts of PSA to further intensify the campaign to improve civil registration, consistent with the goals of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade (CRVS) for 2015 to 2024.

The MOA was signed by PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa, Ph.D., National Statistician and Civil Registrar General and Hon. Reynaldo M. Quimpo, Vice Governor of the Province of Aklan (as representative of Aklan Governor Florencio T. Miraflores) on 08 July 2021. PSA Regional Director Fred S. Sollesta of Regional Statistics Services Office Vl, Engr. Marizza B. Grande, PSA OIC-Assistant National Statistician of the Civil Registration Service, and Engr. Antonette B. Catubuan, PSA Chief Statistical Specialist of Provincial Statistical Office of Aklan, witnessed the signing of the MOA.

The Birth Registration Project for Aklan Province aims to register a total 10,000 unregistered births of lndigenous Peoples (lPs) and the poorest sector of the cities/municipalities in the province. The Project involves the provision of assistance in processing the delayed registration of births of the beneficiaries; facilitating the out-of-town registration of births and other civil registry documents; verification of the existence civil registry records from the PSA Civil Registry System database; and the implementation of the Philippine Civil Registry lnformation System (PhilCRlS) in mobile registrations. The 10,000 target beneficiaries of this Project will receive copies of their registered birth certificates in security paper (SECPA) free of charge.

This initiative embarks for a more intensifled campaign of the Office of the Civil Registrar General (OCRG) to improve civil registration aligned with the three goals of the 2015 to 2024 CRVS Decade. These goals are the following: (1) universal civil registration of births, deaths, and other vital events; (2) all individuals with legal documentation to claim identity, civil status, and ensuing rights; and (3) accurate, complete, and timely vital registration are produced and disseminated.

Also, this initiative will highly impact the lives of Filipino citizens whose unregistered births will be registered with the concerned Local Civil Registry Offices (LCROs). The intensified campaign for civil registration of PSA, the local government unit (LGU), and the LCROs to work together will increase our services for birth registration and other civil registry documents. This Project also aims to extend its reach to be replicated in the other areas of the country to further improve registration at the subnational level.

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-Civil Registration Service, Civil Registration and Central Support Office