The Senate unanimously passed Monday on third and final reading an enabling legislation conferring lifetime validity on birth, death and marriage certificates.
With 23 senators voting in favor and no negative vote nor abstention, Senate Bill 2450 providing for the Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act will now be endorsed to a bicameral panel tasked to hammer out a final reconciled version of the same measure earlier passed by the House of Representatives.
As provided in the remedial legislation by both chambers, these official documents are issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), formerly the National Statistics Office, as well as the local governments’ Civil Registry Office and the Philippine Foreign Service Post.
Its principal sponsor, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., chairman of the endorsing Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, acknowledged the unanimous support by the senators, thanking his colleagues for supporting the timely approval of the bill.
“Mr. President, with this piece of legislation, we have clearly and categorically provided the permanent validity of the civil registry documents regardless of the date of issuance,” Revilla said in endorsing early passage of the measure.
As such, he added, “the documents will be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions, noting that through this, our people do not have to unnecessarily spend time and money in securing new copies of their documents.”
In his manifestation during the plenary deliberation, Revilla Jr. also noted that while the PSA already publicly declared that the birth certificates it issues have no expiration, several government agencies and private organizations still require these documents using the latest security paper which costs the applicant P155 for an authenticated copy and P365 when delivered at their personal address.
Revilla Jr. recalled “there are instances that applicants are required to submit birth certificates issued within the past six months,” adding that “for them to get these documents, Filipinos need to spend time and money.”
Lamenting that “this is especially unfair to those who are first-time jobseekers,” Revilla assured that under the remedial measure he sponsored, all government offices, private companies, schools and nongovernment entities will soon be banned from requiring newly-issued birth, death or marriage certificates from those transacting business with them.
The senator, citing a provision in the bill, added: “The certificates of live birth, death, and marriage issued, signed, certified or authenticated by the PSA and its predecessor, the NSO, and the local civil registries shall have permanent validity regardless of date of issuance and shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring submission thereof, as proof of identity and legal status of a person.”
As soon as it is enacted into law, Revilla reminded further that “a punishment of one to six months imprisonment or a fine of not less than P5,000 but not more than P10,000, or both at the discretion of the court, shall be meted to any person who will be found guilty of violating this law.”
It further provides that “if the violation is committed by a public official or employee, an accessory penalty of temporary disqualification to hold public office shall likewise be imposed,” the bill stated.
Apart from Revilla as main author, listed as co-authors of the bill are Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto and Senators Francis Pangilinan, Win Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Juan Edgardo Angara, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar and Nancy Binay. -30-