Civil Registration Month

FOLLOWING Presidential Proclamation No. 682, series of 1991, issued by President Corazon C. Aquino on January 28, 1991, the month of February is celebrated as Civil Registration Month (CRM) throughout the Philippines. On February 27, 1931, by virtue of Act No. 3753, “An Act to Establish a Civil Register,” the system of civil registration was established in the Philippines.

Vital or Civil Registration is the recording in the civil registers the vital acts and events that affect the civil status of an individual. These include births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, and all such events that have something to do with an individual’s entrance and departure from life, together with changes in civil status that may occur to a person during his lifetime. Civil Registration Month serves to fully remind the citizens of their duty to register the vital acts and events.

The theme for this year is #NapapanahongCRVs, and a series of activities have been organized by various cities and municipalities for the celebration. The City of Cauayan local government will hold a Mass Wedding Ceremony on February 22, 2018, at 9 a.m. at the F.L. Dy Memorial Coliseum. Cebu City has organized an On-the-Spot Poster Making Contest and Essay Writing Contest, with college students in the city participating. The San Pascual Local Civil Registrar thru its facebook page announced that there will be an amnesty for those who delayed in registering. They encouraged everyone to coordinate with the office of the Municipal Civil Registrar. The program is led by Mayor Roanna D. Conti.

The Education Division of Misamis Oriental has issued Division Memorandum No. 021 s. 2018, inviting all schools to participate in the activities slated for Civil Registration Month, such as an On-the-Spot Pencil/Drawing Contest, Story Telling Contest, Quiz Show, Declamation/Dramatic Monologue Contest, and Vocal Duet Contest. The local government unit of Manaoag, Pangasinan, through the Office of Mayor Kim Mikael G. Amador will hold a Free Civil Mass Wedding on February 27, 2018. The local governments of other cities and municipalities all over the country have been tasked to secure registration of births, marriages, and other legal documents.

We congratulate the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the men and Local Government Units for their sustained effort and strong commitment to uphold the objectives of the PSA to bring about greater public awareness of the importance of updating the civil status of every Filipino.