A bill seeking the permanent validity of birth, death and marriage certificates issued and certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO) – has been approved by the country’s Senate.
The bill on Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act was approved via voting 21-0 on the third and final reading in the Senate on Monday, May 23.
“Certificates of live birth, death, and marriage issued, signed, certified or authenticated by the PSA and its predecessor, the NSO, and the local civil registries shall 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,” the bill said.
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As per the new measure, the certificates shall be permanently valid provided that the “document remains intact, readable, and still visibly contains the authenticity and security features.”
Filipinos will no longer need to “unnecessarily spend time and money in securing new copies of their documents,” said Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
“With this piece of legislation, we have clearly and categorically provided the permanent validity of the civil registry documents regardless of the date of issuance. As such, they will be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
