Presidential Decree No. 651 (PD 651) — Requiring the Registration of Births and Deaths in the Philippines Which Occurred from January 1, 1974 and Thereafter.
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;
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;
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;
WHEREAS, this will be another landmark in the continuing
efforts of the government to improve the social conditions of the people
with the aid of accurate vital statistics, and is in line with the
observance of the 1974 world population year;
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:
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 a 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.
SEC. 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 fine or fee of 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 not 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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, clinics, 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.
SEC. 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 line 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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 occuring
within their respective jurisdictions to insure complete coverage of
these events.
SEC. 8. Implementing official—The Civil Registrar
General is hereby authorized to issue rules and regulations, orders or
circulars to implement this decree.
SEC. 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 (6) months, or both, in the discretion of the
court.
SEC. 10. Repealing clause—Any provision of law,
ordinance, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of
this decree, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 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.
(Sgd.)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President
Republic of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.)
ROBERTO V. REYES
Acting Executive Secretary
Source: Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines. Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).
