An average of 21 deaths registered per month

The province of Oriental Mindoro reported 5,757 deaths in the year 2023, which exhibits a slight increase of 0.2 percent from 5,745 registered deaths in 2022. This is equivalent to a crude death rate of 6.2 or six deaths per 1,000 population.

On the average, this corresponds to an average of 16 deaths per day. On the other hand, the municipality of Baco was able to record 252 deaths for the year 2023, translated to the average of 21 deaths per month, equivalent to a crude death rate of 6.3 or six deaths per 1,000 population. The month of December had the highest registration of deaths in 2023, with 30 deaths, followed by the month of April, with 28 deaths, then followed by the months of March, May, and June, with 22 registered deaths each. The month of September had the least number of registered deaths with only nine. (Figure 1)

Of the total deaths in 2023 in Baco, 128 deaths were males, representing 50.8 percent of the total deaths, while 124 deaths were females, accounting for 49.2 percent. (Figure 2) This is equivalent to sex ratio of 103.2 or 103 male deaths for every 100 female deaths.

Acute myocardial infarction, Hypertensive heart disease, and Respiratory tuberculosis, not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, lead the cause of death, and Pneumonia, organism unspecified

The top three causes of death in the Baco from January to December 2023 were Acute myocardial infarction, Hypertensive heart disease, and Respiratory tuberculosis, not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically and Pneumonia, organism unspecified.

Acute myocardial infarction, the top leading cause of death in Baco took 11 lives, or 4.4 percent share of the total deaths in the municipality. Of the 11 deaths, eight were males (72.7 percent) and three were females (27.3 percent).

On the other hand, Hypertensive heart disease came in second with nine deaths, accounting for 3.6 percent share of all the total deaths in the municipality. Of the nine deaths, four deaths were males (44.4 percent) and five deaths were females (55.6 percent)

Respiratory tuberculosis, not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, and Pneumonia, organism unspecified, were the third leading cause, which accounted for seven deaths or 2.8 percent share of all the total deaths in the municipality. (Table 1)

On the other hand, acute myocardial infarction is also the leading cause of death in males, followed by respiratory tuberculosis, not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, the third leading cause of death for males is hypertensive heart disease and Pneumonia, organism unspecified. (Table 2)

Additionally, Malignant neoplasm of breast and Hypertensive heart disease are the leading causes of death in females. The second leading cause of death in females is Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Unspecified protein-energy malnutrition, Intracerebral haemorrhage, and Other cerebrovascular diseases. The third leading cause of death in females is malignant neoplasm of the ovary, Unspecified diabetes mellitus, Acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia, organism unspecified. (Table 3)

Infant deaths are deaths that occurred before reaching age 1. In the municipality of Baco, 17 infant deaths were registered, or 6.7 percent share in 2023, of which nine were males and eight were females.

54.7 percent of the deceased had attendant at death

Of the 252 registered deaths in the municipality, 138 deaths or 54.8 percent, were attended by either a private physician, public health officers, and hospital authorities. Moreover, of the 138 attended deaths, 70 registered deaths were attended by hospital authorities, 62 deaths attended by public health officers, and five deaths attended by private physician. While 114 deaths or 45.2 percent were not attended by any of the private physicians or public health officers or hospital authorities (Figure 3)

(SGD) CHARLYN ROMERO-CANTOS, PhD
(Chief Administrative Officer)
Officer-in-Charge
Oriental Mindoro Provincial Statistical Office

HTD/JAMF

TECHNICAL NOTES ON VITAL STATISTICS

INTRODUCTION

Vital statistics are derived from information obtained at the time when the occurrences of vital events and their characteristics are inscribed in a civil register.

Vital acts and events are the births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, and all such events that have something to do with an individual's entrance and departure from life together with the changes in civil status that may occur to a person during his lifetime. Recording of these events in the civil register is known as vital or civil registration and the resulting documents are called vital records.

STRUCTURE OF VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM

The production of vital statistics comprised of a system of operations in which the registration of vital events is an important component. The system begins with the registration followed by the processing and controlling of vital records and ends with the compilation and analysis of vital statistics.

Under Commonwealth Act (CA) 591, the Bureau of Census (now Philippine Statistics Authority) is mandated to generate general purpose statistics and to carry out and administer Act No. 3753.

Under the same law, the head of the PSA is also the Civil Registrar General (CRG) who directs and supervises the local civil registration activities in the country. The CRG in this regard is empowered to prepare and issue implementing rules and regulations on civil registration and to prepare and order printed the necessary forms for proper compliance.

The set-up of vital statistics system involves different entities and cuts across different departments and personalities.

For the registration of vital events, the Local Civil Registry Offices (LCROs), which are the registration units in the country and headed by the City/Municipal Civil Registrars (C/MCRs), are under the Local Government Units (LGUs). The hospitals, clinics, rural health units and similar institutions including barangay secretaries, practicing physicians, midwives, nurses, traditional midwives, solemnizing officers from various religious sects and denomination are required to assist in the reporting of vital events for registration at the LCROs. The concerned parents, next of kin, contracting parties, a witness or the person who has full knowledge of the occurrence of the event are also required to report the event, in default of the first mentioned set of informants.

The processing and controlling of vital documents are done at the LCROs and at the PSA Provincial and Central Offices.

The compilation and analysis of vital statistics is taken cared of by the PSA Central Office under the Vital Statistics Division of the Civil Registration and Central Support Office.

THE REGISTRATION METHOD

As mandated in Act 3753, all vital events that marked the entry and departure of a person in his lifetime and the changes in his/her civil status shall be registered. The registration method is defined as the continuous, permanents and compulsory recording of the occurrences and characteristics of vital events, primarily for their value as legal documents and secondary for their usefulness as a source of statistics.

Place where to register the event

As a general rule, the place of registration is the LCRO of the city of municipality where the vital events occur.

Out of town reporting of vital event occurs when the documents presented to the civil registrar of LCRO, which is not the place of occurrence, not for registration but to be forwarded to the civil registrar of LCRO where the event occurred and where it should be registered.

Forms to use

The civil register consists of certificates and the registry book. It also includes the actual copies of the registrable court decisions and the legal instruments concerning the civil status of persons. The certificates are loose-leaf forms in a set of four copies except for the Certificate of Foundling which is in a set of three.

Person who will report the event

The informant is the one who reports the event for registration and who gives information to be recorded in the civil register.

For death occurrences, the report shall be made by the hospital or clinic administrator if the person dies in the hospital or clinic, or by attending physician or by the nearest relative or by any interested party who has knowledge of the occurrence of death. In all cases, the report shall be submitted to the Local Health Officer (LHO) who shall direct and order the C/MCR to enter the death in the civil register.

Period when to report the event

Death or fetal death shall be reported to LHO within forty eight (48) hours from the time of death and the LHO shall direct or cause the registration to the C/MCR not later than thirty (30) days from date of death.

Any report made to the LCROs beyond the reglementary period are considered late and can be entered only in the civil register after the informant complies with the requirements for delayed registration.

Operative Act of Registration

The C/MCR sees to it that appropriate form it used; form is properly and completely filled-up; and proper attachments are submitted. In case, the entries are found incomplete, the C/MCR has to require the person concerned to fill up the document completely or to correct the entries.

When the document is accepted for registration, the date of receipt is recorded in the space provided and the documents received for the day are entered immediately in the appropriate civil registry book, assigning therein the corresponding registry number. After registration entry/entries found erroneous can only be corrected through RA 9048, except sex, nationality, age and status which require court approval.

Distribution of registered documents

Upon registration, the C/MCR distributes the copies accordingly: the first copy to the informant; the second copy to the CRG; the third copy shall be retained by the LCRO; and the fourth copy to the attendant or solemnizing officer, as the case may be. The CRG copy is the source of vital statistics published in this report.

DEFINITION OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Significant terminologist and descriptions in the foregoing highlights and tables are defined below. Included are some items found in the certificates and summary measure used in describing the facts of events.

Death refers to the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (postnatal cessation of vital function without capability of resuscitation).

Crude Death Rate (CDR) refers to the number of deaths per 1,000 mid-year population.

Daily Average refers to the arithmetic mean of birth, death or marriage occurrences per day.

Daily Index is the increase/decrease from the overall daily average of event occurrences.

Usual Residence refers to the place where the person habitually or permanently resides.

Place of Occurrence refers to the place where the vital event took place.