This is good news to all the Filipinos like me who have been long burdened and haunted by the wrong entries in their birth certificates.
Since the time of my great grandparents, our last name has been like a curse to us because we have to deal with its varying spellings coupled with the errors committed by the clerks of the municipal registrar and their penmanship.
It was always a horror with work, travel and school documents.
But last week, the curse has been vanquished when President Benigno Aquino III signed the new law extending the power of local civil registrars to correct errors in birth certificates without any court order. Correcting errors in date of birth and gender in birth certificates no longer needs court approval.
Republic Act 10172, which was signed by the President last Aug. 19, amended several provisions of Republic Act 9048. It extended the coverage of exemptions to requirement of judicial approval for correction on entries in the birth certificate.
Under the new law, the city or municipal registrar may correct clerical or typographical errors in the day and month of date of birth or gender without a court order.
The previous law did not include the entries on date of birth and gender among the exemptions on court approval requirement and only specified entries on first name and nickname in the civil register.
Apart from this, the new law also specified where the fees for corrections in the birth certificate should go.
“The fees collected by the city or municipal civil registrar or consul general pursuant to this Act shall accrue to the funds of the Local Civil Registry Office concerned or the Office of the Consul General for modernization of the office and hiring of new personnel and procurement of supplies, subject to government accounting and auditing rules,” read Section 8 of RA 10172.
So, this isn't really free but we don't need court orders anymore. That's really big help. I can kiss P-noy's ass!
Here is the text of Republic Act 10172
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