Press Release
August 3, 2022

Gatchalian hails law on permanent validity of birth, death, and marriage certificates

Senator Win Gatchalian hailed a new law that establishes the permanent validity of certificates of live birth, death, and marriage.

Republic Act No. 11909 or the Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act, which Gatchalian co-authored, covers live birth, death, and marriage certificates issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), its predecessor the National Statistics Office (NSO), and local civil registries. It also applies to certificates registered and issued by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts, and transmitted to the PSA.

"Dapat padaliin natin para sa ating mga kababayan ang pagkuha ng mga importanteng dokumento. Kaya naman isinulong nating magkaroon ng permanent validity ang ating mga birth, death, at marriage certificates upang hindi na mahirapan ang publiko sa pagkuha ng mga dokumentong ito," said Gatchalian.

Regardless of the date of issuance, these certificates shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring their submission as proof of identity and legal status. These documents, however, should remain intact and readable, and should still visibly contain the authenticity and security features.

The permanent validity of marriage certificates is applicable only when the marriage has not been judicially decreed annulled or void as provided for under the Family Code of the Philippines or any subsequent amendatory law on marriage.

The law further provides that national government agencies and instrumentalities, government-owned and -controlled corporations, local government units, private companies, private and public educational institutions, and other non-government entities are prohibited from requiring the submission of another or newer certificates when a valid certificate can already be presented.

Gatchalian emphasized that this law would spare Filipinos from the additional expense and inconvenience of getting new copies of these documents.

To verify the authenticity of these certificates and reports of birth, death, or marriage, the law also mandates the PSA to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop a civil registry database and establish a virtual viewing facility in local civil registries and in the Philippine Foreign Service Posts.


Gatchalian: permanent validity ng mga birth, death, at marriage certificates ganap nang batas

Ikinagalak ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang bagong batas na nagtatalaga sa permanent validity ng mga certificates ng live birth, death, at marriage.

Saklaw ng Republic Act No. 11909 o ang Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act, na isinulong ni Gatchalian, ang mga certificates ng live birth, death, at marriage na inisyu ng Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ng pinalitan nitong National Statistics Office (NSO), at ng local civil registries. Saklaw rin ng naturang batas ang mga certificate na nirehistro at inisyu ng mga Philippine Foreign Service Posts at na-transmit sa PSA.

"Dapat padaliin natin para sa ating mga kababayan ang pagkuha ng mga importanteng dokumento. Kaya naman isinulong nating magkaroon ng permanent validity ang ating mga birth, death, at marriage certificates upang hindi na mahirapan ang publiko sa pagkuha ng mga dokumentong ito," ani Gatchalian.

Ano man ang petsa ng kanilang issuance, ang mga certificate na ito ay kikilalanin sa lahat ng mga transaksyon sa gobyerno o sa pribadong sektor na nangangailangan ng katibayan ng pagkakakilanlan. Ngunit dapat nababasa pa rin at nananatiling maayos ang dokumento. Dapat ding nananatiling maayos ang authenticity at security features ng mga ito.

Nananatili ang permanent validity sa mga marriage certificates hanggang hindi ito napapawalang-bisa ayon sa Family Code of the Philippines o ano mang kasunod na batas na may kinalaman sa kasal.

Ipinagbabawal din ng batas sa mga tanggapan ng pamahalaan, kabilang ang mga lokal na pamahalaan at government-owned and - controlled corporations, mga pribadong kompanya, mga paaralan, at iba pang mga non-government entities na humingi ng bagong kopya ng mga bagong certificates kung meron namang valid na certificate na maaari nang ibigay.

Paliwanag ni Gatchalian, hindi na maaabala at madadagdagan ang gastusin ng publiko upang makakuha ng bagong kopya ng mga dokumentong ito.

Upang matiyak ang authenticity ng mga certificate na ito at mga ulat sa kapanganakan, pagkamatay, at kasal, minamandato ng batas sa PSA na makipag-ugnayan sa Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) na gumawa ng civil registry database at gumawa ng virtual viewing facility sa mga local civil registries at sa Philippine Foreign Service Posts.

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