Fourteen births per thousand population

In 2023, the Philippines registered a total of 1,448,522 live births, corresponding to a crude birth rate1 (CBR) of 12.8, or approximately 13 births per thousand population.

The MIMAROPA Region was able to register 43,287 live births equivalent to 3.0 percent of the total births registered in the country, with a 13.2 or approximately 13 births per thousand population.

In the past seven years, registered live births in the province of Oriental Mindoro decreased by 8.7 percent from 13,949 births in 2017 to 12,735 births in 2023. A slight increase of 0.6 percent was observed in 2023 compared to the 12, 664 registered live births in 2022.The crude birth rate in the province was registered at 13.7 or approximately 14 births per thousand population.

On the average, 1,061.3 or 1061 babies were born monthly in the province, or 34.9 or 35 babies were born daily, which translates to 1.5 or two babies per hour.

More males were born than females

In 2023, more males (6,657 or 52.3 percent share) were born than females (6,078 or 47.7 percent share), resulting in a sex ratio at birth of 110 males per 100 females.

Highest occurrence of births recorded in Calapan City

Usually, City/municipalities with larger population reported the highest number of live births. Of the total registered live births by place of occurrence, 42.0 percent were born in Calapan City, 18.3 percent in Pinamalayan, and 13.2 percent in Roxas. Similarly, these three places also recorded the highest number of live births by usual residence of mothers, Calapan City with 16.2 percent share, Bongabong and Pinamalayan with 9.2 percent share, each and Roxas with 7.4 percent share.

Most registered of births registered in September

In 2023, most registered births occurred in September with 1,242 births, accounting for 9.8 percent of the total provincewide. It was followed by the months of October with 9.5 percent and November with 9.4 percent of the total registered births. On the other hand, month of June had the least number of births contributing to 7.3 percent to the total.

In terms of daily average, September recorded the highest number of births with an average of 41.4 births per day. On the contrary, June had the lowest daily average with 30.8 births per day.

Nine in ten birth deliveries were medically attended

Of the total number of births in the province, 90.0 percent were attended by health professionals, such as physicians, midwives, or nurses. On the other hand, 7.0 percent of births were delivered by a hilot or traditional birth attendants.

Most of the city/municipalities in the province reported a notable proportion of births attended by health professionals, reflecting improvements in maternal and child health care services. Six city/municipalities had medical attended births exceeding 90.0 percent. On the other hand, only 0.9 percent or one in ten births that occurred in Mansalay were medically attended by health professionals, while the rest were attended by traditional birth attendants such as hilot or unlicensed midwives.

Nine in ten birth delivered in health facilities

In 2023, nine out of ten births or 89.6 percent occurred in health facilities such as hospital, birthing clinic, lying in centers, outpatient care center, specialized care center, or similar facilities. Only 10.2 percent of total births were delivered at home, and 0.2 percent were delivered in other locations.

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

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.