⁽¹⁾Figures are results of actual registrations without any adjustment of under-registration. Civil Registration is a continuous process. Hence, there is a need to establish certain cut-off period. For registered vital events in 2022, the data is as of 31 July 2023 and is posted at www.psa.gov.ph.

Thirteen births per thousand population

In 2022, a total of 41,132 live births were registered in MIMAROPA region, which is equivalent to a crude birth rate¹ of 12.7 or 13 births per thousand population².

The number of registered live births by place of occurrence went up by 7.2 percent compared to registered live births in 2021 with 38,371.  But generally, a decreasing trend was observed from 2015 to 2021. 

The highest rate of decline in the total number of registered live births in the MIMAROPA Region was seen between 2020 and 2021, where a decrease of 9.9 percent was observed from 42,600 in 2020 to 38,371 in 2021. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Number of Registered Live Births in
MIMAROPA: 2011 - 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note:  Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

Highest number of births registered in Oriental Mindoro

Of the total live births in the region, 30.8 percent were born in Oriental Mindoro, with 12,664 live births, (Figure 2).  This was followed by the province of Palawan with 10,167 registered live births or 24.7 percent of the total live births in the region.  On the other hand, Occidental Mindoro contributed 18.6 percent of the total live births in the region with 7,651 live births.  The highly urbanized City of Puerto Princesa had 3,870 live births, Romblon with 3,868 live births, and Marinduque with 2,912 live births.

Figure 2. Registered Live Births by Province and 
Highly Urbanized City, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

More males were born than females

In 2022, more males (21,328 or 51.9 percent) were born than females (19,804 or 48.1 percent), resulting in a sex ratio at birth³ of 108 males per 100 females. (Figure 3)

Likewise, more males were born than females in all provinces in the region.  Also, more males were born in the City of Puerto Princesa, the only highly urbanized city in the region, with a sex ratio of 113. As for the provinces, Marinduque had the highest sex ratio with 115, Romblon  with 110, Palawan with 109, and the sex ratio of Oriental Mindoro and Occidental  Mindoro were both 105. (Table 1)

Table 1.  Number of Registered Live Births by Sex and by Region, Province and Highly Urbanized City, MIMAROPA: January - December 2022

 

Figure 3. Percent Distribution of Registered Live Births by Sex, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

Most number of births registered in October

In 2022, most registered births occurred in October at 3,968 or 9.6 percent of the total births in the region.  It was followed by the months of September at 3,963 (9.6 percent share) and November at 3,880 (9.4 percent share).  On the other hand, the month od February had the least number of births with 2,986 or 7.3 percent share.  (Figure 4)

Figure 4. Number of Registered Live Births by
Month of Occurrence, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

In terms of daily average, September recorded the highest with an average of 132 births per day, which translates to 6 births per hour.  Followed by the months of November with an average of 129 births per day and October with and average of 128 births per day.  On the contrary, June had the lowest daily average number of births with 101, equivalent to 4 births per hour.

Eight in ten births deliveries were medically attended

Of the total number of births in the region, 84.9 percent were attended by health professional (physician, midwife, or nurse).  On the other hand, 13.1 percent of births were delivered by a hilot or traditional birth attendant. (Figure 5)

Figure 5. Percent Share of Registered Live Births by 
Attendant at Birth, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

A remarkable proportion of births attended by health professionals in the three provinces and one Highly Urbanized City in the number of births by place of occurrence and by usual residence of mother was observed.  Provinces of Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro and Romblon, and the Highly Urbanized City of Puerto Princesa had medically attended births higher that 85.0 percent.  This could be interpreted that the health services in terms of maternal and child health care are improving.

Eight in ten births delivered in health facilities

In 2022, eight of ten births were delivered in a health facility with 83.2 percent in MIMAROPA Region.  The health facilities could be a hospital, birthing clinic,  lying in, outpatient care center, specialized care center, and the like.  However, there were 6,889 live births out of the 41, 132 total registered live births in the region which were delivered at home or 16.7 percent.  The province of Palawan noted the highest live births that were delivered at home with 27.3 percent followed by Occidental Mindoro with 24.3 percent.

Figure 6. Percent Share of Registered Live Births by 
Site of Delivery, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

More than half of babies were born to unwed mothers

In MIMAROPA Region, more than half (22,566 or 54.8 percent) of the total registered live births in 2022 were born out of wedlock.  (Figure 7).  Further, the age group group of mother 20-24 registered the highest of live births born out of wedlock with 7,274, followed by age group of mother 25-29 with 5,673, then by age group of mother 15-19 with 3,828. (Figure 8)

Figure 7. Percent Share of Registered Live Births by 
Legitimacy Status, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

Figure 8. Number of Registered Live Births by Legitimacy Status of 
the Child, Age Group and Usual Place of Residence of Mother, 
MIMAROPA: 2022
 

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority (Data on live births are those registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General; Certificate of Live Birth-Municipal Form No. 102)
Note: Figures are results of actual registration without any adjustment for under registration.

(SGD) LENI R. RIOFLORIDO
Regional Director

MLLM/APR/CRC

Footnotes:

¹Crude Birth Rate refers to the number of live births per 1,000 mid-year population
²Population estimate used was taken from the updated populations projections based on the 2015 census available at www.psa.gov.ph/statistics/census/projected-population
³Sex ratio at birth is the number of resident male live births (for a specific geography such as country, state or county for a specified time period, usually a calendar year) divided by the number of resident female live births (for the same geography and time period) and multiplied by 100 or 1,000.

 

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 care 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.

In case of live birth, the law requires the hospital or clinic administrator or his representative if the birth occurred in the hospital or clinic. If the birth occurred elsewhere, the attendant who may either be a physician, nurse, license midwife or traditional birth attendant makes the report. In default of the hospital authority, or the attendant, the responsibility of reporting the births devolves upon either or both parents or upon a person who has full knowledge of the facts of birth and filiation of the child.

Period when to report the event. Live births shall be reported for registration to C/MCR not later than thirty (30) days from the date of birth.

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.

Live Birth is a complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached; each product of such a birth is considered live born.