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PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 651
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 651 -
REQUIRING THE REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS IN THE PHILIPPINES
WHICH OCCURRED FROM JANUARY 1, 1974 AND THEREAFTER
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WHEREAS,
government surveys reveal that every year twenty five to forty per cent
of all births and deaths occurring in the Philippines are not
registered in the office of the local civil registrar as required by
Act 3753; chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, this big number of under-registration adversely affects the
program of government in promoting the health and social conditions of
the people especially the youth because of difficulty in gathering
complete vital statistics due to the under-registration of births and
deaths;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, to provide primary sources of vital statistics for use in
various population studies in order to formulate more effective health
and social plan for the country, the immediate registration of
unregistered births and deaths is imperative;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, this will be another landmark in the continuing efforts of the
government to improve the social conditions of the people with thed of
accurate vital statistics, and is in line with the observance of the
1974 world population year;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines,
by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby
order and decree that all births and deaths that occurred within the
period starting January 1, 1974 to the date when this decree becomes
effective, but were not registered, and those that will occur
thereafter, shall be registered in accordance with the following
procedures;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 1. Registration of births. — All babies born
in hospitals, maternity clinics, private homes, or elsewhere within the
period starting from January 1, 1974 up to the date when this decree
becomes effective, irrespective of the nationality, race, culture,
religion or belief of their parents, whether the mother is a permanent
resident or transient in the Philippines, and whose births have not yet
been registered must be reported for registration in the office of the
local civil registrar of the place of birth by the physician, nurse,
midwife, hilot, or hospital or clinic administrator who attended the
birth or in default thereof, by either parent or a responsible member
of the family or a relative, or any person who has knowledge of the
birth of the individual child.
The report referred to above shall be accompanied with an affidavit
describing the circumstances surrounding the delayed registration.
Section 2. Period of registration of births. — The
registration of the birth of babies referred to in the preceding
section must be done within sixty (60) days from the date of
effectivity of this decree without or fee or any kind. Babies born
after the effectivity of this decree must be registered in the office
of the local civil registrar of the place of birth within thirty (30)
days after birth, by the attending physician, nurse, midwife, hilot or
hospital or clinic administrator or, in default of the same, by either
parent or a responsible member of the family or any person who has
knowledge of the birth.
The parents or the responsible member of the family and the attendant
at birth or the hospital or clinic administrator referred to above
shall be jointly liable in case they fail to register the new born
child. If there was no attendant at birth, or if the child was not born
in a hospital or maternity clinic, then the parents or the responsible
member of the family alone shall be primarily liable in case of failure
to register the new born child. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 3. Proof of birth registration a
pre-requisite to school enrolment and allowance of tax exemption. —
Henceforth, starting with the year 1975, the presentation of a birth
certificate shall be a pre-requisite to enrolment in the first grade in
all public and private schools in the country and allowance of tax
exemption for dependents under the National Internal Revenue Code.
Section 4. Registration of deaths. — All persons,
irrespective of nationality, race, culture, religion and belief,
whether a permanent resident or a transient in the Philippines, who
died in hospitals, clinic, private homes, or elsewhere, within the
period from January 1, 1974 to the date of effectivity of this decree,
whose deaths have not yet been registered, must be reported for
registration through the local health officer to the local civil
registrar of the place of death, by the physician who attended the
deceased or in default thereof, by the nearest responsible relative or
by any person who has knowledge of such death.
The report referred to above shall be accompanied by an affidavit
describing the circumstances surrounding the delayed registration.
Section 5. Period of reporting and registration of
deaths. — The registration of deaths referred to in the preceding
section must be done within sixty (60) days from the date of
effectivity of this decree without fine or fee of any kind. Deaths
occurring after the effectivity of this decree must be reported by the
nearest responsible relative or any person who has knowledge of the
death within 48 hours after death to the local health officer of the
place of death, who shall then issue the corresponding certificate of
death and order its registration in the office of the local civil
registrar within thirty (30) days after death. In case the deceased was
attended to by a physician, the latter must issue the necessary
certificate of death within 48 hours after death and submit the same to
the local health officer of the place of death, who shall order its
registration in the office of the local civil registrar within the said
period of thirty (30) days after death. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 6. No registration fee. — No fees of any
kind shall be imposed for the registration of births or deaths within
the prescribed period. However, for the issuance of a certified copy of
any birth or death document, or transcript of the entries from the
civil register, upon the request of the interested party, a
certification fee shall be collected in accordance with existing law.
Section 7. Assistance of barrio captain and barangay
chairman. — All barrio captains and barangay chairman shall have
responsibility for disseminating this decree among their constituents
and for assisting in the registration of births and deaths occurring
within their respective jurisdictions to insure complete coverage of
these events.
Section 8. Implementing official. — The Civil
Registrar General in hereby authorized to issue rules and regulations,
orders or circulars to implement this decree.
Section 9. Penalty. — Any person required under this
decree to report for registration any fact concerning the civil status
of persons and who fails to do so, or who deliberately makes false
statements in the birth or death form and presents the same for
registration, or who violates any rule or regulation which may be
issued pursuant to this decree, and any local public health officer who
fails to perform his duties as provided for in this decree, or violates
any rule or regulation which may be issued pursuant to this decree,
shall upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than P500.00
nor more than P1,000.00 or imprisonment of not less than three (3)
months nor more than six (6) months, or both, in the discretion of the
court.
Section 10. Repealing Clause. — Any provision of
law, ordinance, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions
of this decree, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 11. Effectivity. — This decree shall take
effect forty five (45) days after its approval.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 31st day of January, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and
seventy-five.
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