By making permanent the validity of live birth, death, and marriage certificates issued and certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO), the government is helping “ease the burden of Filipinos,” the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said.
The CHR issued the statement as it welcomed the unanimous passage of Senate Bill (SB) No. 2450 on the Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act, during its third and final reading last May 23.
SB 2450 categorically nullifies the requirement of some government and private institutions to have these documents be obtained and submitted within a six-month validity period due to the expiration of its security paper.
With the bill and its enactment into law, there will be no more expiry to consider just as long as the official document remains intact, readable, and visibly contains the authenticity and security features.
The documents will have permanent validity "regardless of the date of issuance and shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring submission thereof, as proof of identity and legal status of a person," SB 2450 mandates.
With 23 senators approving the bill and the House of Representatives having passed a counterpart measure in June last year, the bill will next be deliberated on by a bicameral conference committee.
"The Commission fully supports this bill as it will vastly ease the burden on ordinary citizens, especially those that hail from far-flung areas, from exerting their time, money, and effort on civil registry documents that should be as immutable and legitimate as their right to recognition," CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.
"We welcome this inclusive development and urge its immediate ratification so the President may sign it into law," she added.