The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), have conducted a series of free birth registration (FBR) in response to the issue of non-birth registration of indigenous people (IPs) in the Bangsamoro region. The pilot implementation of this initiative started in 2022.
This year, on March 22, 2023, a total of 662 unregistered indigenous children and their families from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in North Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, and South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur were issued with birth certificates.
A birth certificate is a legal document, required by law, that serves as proof of an individual’s identity and nationality. It also allows a person to avail of basic services such as education, health, and other specific programs from different government agencies, including the MSSD.
The Ministry spearheaded this initiative to help indigent 0-12 year-old children, the main target of this initiative, obtain Security Paper (SecPa) from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for free. The successful implementation of the free live birth registration in pilot communities has paved the way for the expansion of the free live birth registration to other areas of BARMM with indigenous people communities, such as Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi, Maimbung, Sulu, Tabuan-Lasa, Basilan, and Datu Blah Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
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#UpliftingBangsamorolives
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