Senator Win Gatchalian insisted that the process of facilitating late civil registration should be a balancing act to prevent abuses while providing a mechanism for delayed registration for millions of Filipinos.
“It has to be a balancing act. We cannot tighten it too much because we will disenfranchise our constituents, but we also cannot loosen it too much because criminal syndicates will exploit a relaxed policy,” Gatchalian said at a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights on his proposed Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about 3.6 million Filipinos lacked birth certificates based on the 2020 census, while roughly 40% of birth registrations in 2023 were filed late.
He emphasized that the government needs to tighten provisions on late registration to deter unscrupulous individuals from abusing the process to advance their own interests, citing the case of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who fraudulently acquired Filipino citizenship through the late registration process. Still, the process should not deter disadvantaged Filipinos from availing themselves of the mechanism, the senator said.
Gatchalian Isinusulong ang ‘Checks and Balances’ sa Late Registration ng Civil Registry
Binigyang-diin ni Senador Win Gatchalian na ang proseso ng pagpapadali ng late civil registration ay dapat maging isang ‘balancing act’ upang maiwasan ang mga abuso, habang nagbibigay pa rin ng paraan para sa milyung milyong Pilipino na nagpaparegister nang huli.
“Dapat itong maging isang balancing act. Hindi natin ito maaaring higpitan nang husto dahil mawawalan ng karapatan ang ating mga kababayan, ngunit hindi rin natin ito maaaring masyadong paluwagin dahil pagsasamantalahan ng mga kriminal na sindikato ang maluwag na polisiya,” ani Gatchalian sa isang nakaraang pagdinig ng Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights ukol sa kanyang panukalang Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act.
Ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), humigit-kumulang 3.6 milyong Pilipino ang walang birth certificate base sa 2020 census, habang halos 40% ng mga birth registration noong 2023 ay huli na nang i-file.
Binigyang-diin ng senador na kailangang higpitan ng pamahalaan ang mga probisyon sa late na pagpaparehistro upang mapigilan ang mga mapagsamantalang indibidwal na abusuhin ang proseso para sa sariling interes. Inihalimbawa niya ang kaso ng dating alkalde ng Bamban, Tarlac na si Alice Guo, na pineke ang Filipino citizenship sa pamamagitan ng proseso ng late registration. Gayunpaman, sinabi ng senador na hindi dapat maging hadlang ang proseso para sa mga kapus-palad nating kababayan na nais gamitin ang naturang mekanismo.
# # #
