In a decisive move toward ensuring that every child in Muntinlupa has a legal identity, Mayor Ruffy Biazon has launched a citywide campaign to achieve 100 percent birth registration among Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) learners — a milestone that would make Muntinlupa one of the first cities in the Philippines to close the gap on unregistered children.

The initiative, under the Free Birth Registration Program, forms part of the local government’s “Batang Rehistrado, Kinabukasan Sigurado” campaign, which seeks to eliminate all backlogs in ECCD learners’ birth certificates by the end of the year.

Through this effort, Biazon said the city is not just clearing paperwork but reaffirming the government’s duty to its youngest citizens.

“Kapag walang birth certificate, parang hindi ka umiiral sa mata ng lipunan,” Biazon said. “Hindi ka makapag-enroll, hindi makakuha ng scholarship, hindi makagamit ng serbisyo. Kaya sinisiguro natin: lahat ng batang Muntinlupeño, rehistrado — dahil ang batang rehistrado, kinabukasan sigurado.”

Under the program, all ECCD learners without birth certificates will receive them for free, with the city government shouldering the cost. The Civil Registry Office and ECCD centers are working together to ensure that no child is left unregistered.

Muntinlupa has also passed an ordinance granting free late birth registration for children aged five and below from indigent families, while children aged six to seventeen are given a two-year window to avail of the same service at no cost.

Further strengthening the policy, a proposed measure will require all birthing institutions in Muntinlupa to register newborns delivered in their facilities. If parents fail to do so within a prescribed period, the institutions will be mandated to complete the process in the mother’s name, ensuring that no child leaves the facility without a legal identity.

“We’re giving every child the chance to start life right, while ensuring families and other stakeholders take part in building a culture of responsibility,” Biazon said.

The initiative positions Muntinlupa as one of the few cities to frame birth registration as a child rights issue, rather than a mere administrative requirement. In the absence of a national policy mandating universal birth registration, the city’s program provides a local, rights-based model that other local governments may follow.

Experts note that birth registration is the foundation of all other rights — including access to education, healthcare, and social protection — and without it, a child becomes “invisible” to the state.

For Biazon, ensuring that no child grows up unseen is both a moral and political commitment.

“When a child is registered, that’s a declaration that the government sees them — that they matter,” he said. “And as long as I am mayor, no child in Muntinlupa will grow up unseen.”

With the city’s target of zero unregistered ECCD learners, the initiative reflects a broader vision of governance — one that measures success not only in infrastructure but in how deeply it safeguards the rights and dignity of every child.

“Ang tunay na pag-unlad ay ‘yung walang batang naiiwan,” Biazon said. “Kapag bawat bata ay may pangalan, may kinabukasan din silang sigurado.”