Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada filed Senate Bill No. 2703, the Delayed Registration of Birth Act, to institutionalize procedures and impose stricter penalties for false statements.
The bill aims to make delayed birth registration more effective and ensure genuine and accurate birth certificates.
Estrada highlighted that 3.7 million Filipinos lack birth certificates due to various reasons, which the United Nations Children’s Fund considers a “scandal of invisibility.”
The bill is based on the Revised Guidelines for Delayed Registration of Birth and includes requirements such as parental marriage certificates and mandatory field visits by local officials.
It also introduces penalties of six months to 12 years imprisonment and fines for false statements and mandates timely birth declarations for regular registration.
Source: PhilNews24 | June 5, 2024
