Birth Registration Assistance Project is a program of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that aims to increase the level of birth registration, especially in marginalized communities such as those belonging to the Indigenous Peoples (IPs), Muslim Filipinos, and the poorest sector in the country. It also aims to ensure that these groups are enrolled in the Philippine Identification System and have been issued with their Philippine Identification (PhilID) card which is a gateway for them to claim their social benefits and legal identity.

The initial step in the Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP) involves Local Civil Registry Offices (LCROs) submitting a list of possible targets BRAP beneficiaries. This list is then forwarded by the Birth Registration Coordinator to the Central Office or Regional Office for verification against the PSA database. If no record is found, an Omnibus Negative Certification is issued. This certification then serves as the necessary document for these individuals to proceed with their birth registration under BRAP.

Table 1 details the progress of the BRAP by municipality across three metrics: "Number of Possible BRAP Beneficiaries Submitted for Verification," "Number of Verified BRAP Beneficiaries," and "Number of Verified BRAP Beneficiaries with Omnibus Negative Certification." A total of 2,372 possible BRAP beneficiaries were submitted for verification, from which 2,267 were verified. Of those verified, 2,039 were identified "With Omnibus Negative Certification," indicating that they have no existing birth records with the PSA. At the municipal level, Torrijos submitted the highest number of possible beneficiaries (517), verified the most (493), and had the highest count of beneficiaries with Omnibus Negative Certification (477). This was followed by Gasan with 442 submitted, 427 verified, and 391 with Omnibus Negative Certification. Buenavista and Mogpog both had all submitted beneficiaries verified (433 and 335 respectively), with 390 in Buenavista and 316 in Mogpog having Omnibus Negative Certification. Santa Cruz submitted 446 but verified 380, with 286 having Omnibus Negative Certification. Boac had the lowest number of submissions (199), all of which were verified, and 179 of these had Omnibus Negative Certification.
 

Over 670 Individuals Registered in Marinduque Under Birth Registration Assistance Project

The Birth Registration Assistance Project in Marinduque has demonstrably made significant progress, achieving a total of 676 registered individuals by 30 April 2025. However, the distribution of these registrations across the province's six municipalities, as depicted in Figure 1, reveals a considerable degree of variation in the project's impact. Torrijos stands out with the highest number of registered births (187), closely followed by Gasan (174), suggesting effective implementation and potentially high demand for the service in these areas. Mogpog also shows a substantial contribution with 124 registrations. Conversely, Santa Cruz records a moderate 87 registrations, while the capital municipality of Boac (58) and Buenavista (46) exhibit the lowest figures.
 

Females tend to have a higher number of registered births than males.

The registered birth data reveals a notable gender distribution, with 374 or 55.33 percent female births recorded against 302 or 44.67 percent male births. This disparity is further quantified by a calculated sex ratio of approximately 81 ( or 80.75), indicating that for every 100 registered female births, there are roughly 81 (or 80.75) registered male births.

Figure 3, offers a granular view of birth registration patterns, consistently indicating a higher number of registered female births compared to male births across most municipalities. This trend is evident in Boac (41 females vs. 17 males), Buenavista (26 females vs. 20 males), Gasan (96 females vs. 78 males), Mogpog (69 females vs. 55 males), and Torrijos (100 females vs. 87 males). Notably, Boac exhibits a particularly stark proportional difference. Santa Cruz, on the other hand, stands as the sole exception to this pattern, where male registrations (45) slightly surpass female registrations (42).

Older Age Groups Dominate Birth Registrations

Figure 4 presents a comprehensive overview of the age demographics of individuals whose births were registered under BRAP. The data indicates that the BRAP successfully reached a very broad spectrum of ages, from infants to the elderly. A significant portion of the registered births fall within the older age groups, with the 60-64 group showing the highest number at 106 registrations, closely followed by the 55-59 age group with 96 registrations. The 65-69 age group also shows a substantial 61 registrations, suggesting a strong focus on formalizing the identities of individuals who may have gone unregistered for many decades. While registrations decline as age increases beyond 70, reaching a low of 4 for the 95 and over age bracket, the project also effectively registered births for younger populations, with 43 registrations in the 5-9 age group and 29 for those aged 0-4. Conversely, the age groups typically associated with working adults (20-49) generally show lower registration numbers, ranging from 13 to 29, which might imply that individuals in these groups had relatively fewer unregistered births or had already completed their registration through other means. Overall, the distribution highlights the project's success in addressing long-standing unregistered births across several generations.
 

Legal Identity Achieved: COLBs in SECPA

Based on Figure 5, which illustrates the "Number of Issued COLBs in SECPA" by municipality, a total of 559 BRAP beneficiaries have received their free Certificates of Live Birth (COLBs) in Security Paper (SECPA) out of the 676 total registered births. The distribution of these issued COLBs varies significantly across municipalities. Torrijos leads with the highest number, issuing 169 COLBs, closely followed by Gasan with 156. Mogpog also shows a substantial contribution with 95 issued COLBs, while Santa Cruz registered 73. Boac has a moderate 49 issued COLBs, and Buenavista shows the lowest number at just 17. This distribution largely aligns with the patterns observed in the initial registration numbers, indicating that municipalities with higher initial registration rates also generally achieve a higher rate of final document issuance. The overall figure of 559 issued COLBs underscores the project's success in providing essential legal documents to a significant portion of its beneficiaries, with the variations per municipality highlighting areas of higher project impact and areas that may benefit from further concentrated efforts.

(SGD)GEMMA N. OPIS 
Chief Statistical Specialist
PSA PSO Marinduque

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