Iloilo: The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has successfully registered over 12,000 residents from both the city and province of Iloilo under its birth registration assistance project (PBRAP) as of the last week of March this year.

According to Philippines News Agency, the PBRAP was launched in 2022 with the aim of increasing civil registration, particularly in marginalized communities. PSA Iloilo Supervising Statistical Specialist Jerry Dolutan, in an interview on Tuesday, stated that as of March, around 48,000 individuals had submitted their information for verification to determine if they possessed existing birth records.

Out of these submissions, it was found that 28,000 individuals, or approximately 60 percent, did not have any existing birth record and proceeded to register. As of March 26, PSA data indicated that 12,041 individuals were already recorded in the system.

Dolutan noted that out of the 12,000 registered, 30 percent, or more than 4,000 individuals, were issued with security paper. Others are currently with local civil registry offices (LCROs) awaiting the delivery of the security paper. He mentioned that the central office encountered challenges in matching the information provided by registrants during verification and the actual registration process, necessitating manual verification.

The birth registration initiative primarily targets individuals in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, Indigenous Peoples, indigents without the capacity to register, and Filipino Muslims. Dolutan added that through partnerships with local government units, fees and penalties associated with registration were waived, and registrants will receive a copy of their birth certificate.