DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Nov. 17 (PIA) -- Children’s welfare advocates in Negros Oriental reminded parents on the child’s fundamental right to have a name and nationality and their responsibility to register the child’s birth with their respective Local Civil Registrar (LCR) offices.

Both Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) Focal Person for Children’s Programs Dahlia Cabristante and City Central Elementary School Principal Barsilisa Patrimonio admitted that up to now, there are children who do not have birth certificates because their parents failed to register their birth with their LCRs.

Cabristante said this is common in municipalities especially in far-flung villages where pregnant mothers deliver their child with the help of “hilots.”

“Bisan ginadili na ang hilot, still nag-exist pa sa barrios but all Local Government Units (LGUs) naa sila birthing facilities. Kung hilot ang ni-assist sa mama dili ma rehistro (Although giving birth through hilots are now discouraged, it still exists today especially in the barrios. All LGUs now have birthing facilities, but if the delivery was assisted by hilots, chances are the child’s birth will not be registered),” Cabristante said.

To address this, Cabristante said her office has directed day care workers and health workers officiating the Operation Timbang in the barrios to get in touch with parents and encourage those who did not file the birth certificate of their child to register it with their LCR.

The PSWDO official added that in most cases, day care workers endorse the parents to their Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) who would issue a certificate of indigency and also provide cash assistance to cover the payment for the late filing of birth certificates.

Patrimonio noted that even in urbanized areas like Dumaguete City, there are still school-age children with no birth certificates.

She said she learned this when she directed a survey in the barangay with the help of parent officers and teachers league officers.

Based on the survey, there was a seven-year old child and a nine-year old child who were not yet enrolled in school because they do not have birth certificates.

Patrimonio said they have undertaken initiatives to address this so that children can go to school. 

“Right to have a name is necessary. Ako sila gilista because aduna man kami gitawag na ‘oath of undertaking.’ Mopirma sila (parents) sa promise na ila pahimuan ug birth certificate ang bata ug moingon  wala ikabayad, kami mga maestra ang mo-sponsor (I collected the names of the children. We have parents give an oath of undertaking where they agree to file their child’s birth certificate. In case they don’t have money to pay for the filing fee, the teachers help),” Patrimonio said.

She said this is also practiced in some schools in the city.

School heads issue a certificate of enrollment which bears the spelling of the child’s name and will be brought to the LCR for the late registration.

Some teachers also pay for the filing fee of late registration.

The two officials emphasized this as they promoted the different rights of a child in celebration of National Children’s Month this November.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also stressed the importance of registering the birth of a child.

In an article posted in its website, the PSA underscored that “the birth certificate of a child is a proof of recognition of the new-born's individual importance to the state and his/her status under the law. The right to be registered at birth is provided for in Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of which the Philippines was among the 196 nation signatories.”

Aside from being a proof of existence, birth certificates also authenticate a person’s identity and is used as a tool in obtaining other identification documents such as licenses or even passports.

Aside from discussing their interventions to help children achieve their right to have a name and nationality, they also discussed other programs pertaining to other children’s rights like various feeding programs to address the child’s right to survival and nutrition. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)