Rep. Acidre: No Filipino left behind

A technical working group was convened by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations to reconcile conflicting provisions among 20 measures seeking to modernize the country’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (CRVS), including House Bill No. 5213 filed by TINGOG Party-list.

The proposal is included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) agenda of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for the 20th Congress, underscoring its importance as a priority measure aimed at strengthening governance through inclusive and reliable data systems.

Rep. Jude Acidre, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee and one of the principal authors of HB No. 5213, or the Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act, said the consolidation process marks a critical step toward updating the country’s outdated civil registry framework under Republic Act No. 3753.

Enacted in 1930, the law governs the registration of vital events such as births, deaths, and marriages. Nearly a century later, it remains the backbone of the country’s civil registration system despite dramatic shifts in population growth, migration patterns, technology, and governance structures.

While millions of vital events are recorded annually, persistent gaps remain in the timely and universal registration of births and deaths, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

These gaps affect access to education, healthcare, social protection, inheritance, and even the right to vote—services that depend on proof of legal identity. Delayed and unregistered births continue to disproportionately affect children from low-income and marginalized communities, reinforcing cycles of exclusion.

Acidre emphasized that civil registration is not merely an administrative function, but a matter of human dignity.

“Civil registration is about recognizing every Filipino’s inherent worth,” Acidre said. “This measure pushes for human dignity at its core. Every Filipino deserves to be counted, recognized, and given legal identity. When someone is not registered, they are effectively invisible in the eyes of the State. No Filipino should be left behind simply because the system failed to record their existence.”

He added that a strengthened CRVS system would improve the reliability of national statistics, sharpen development planning, and ensure that government programs reach their intended beneficiaries, especially those in far-flung and underserved communities.

The TWG aims to harmonize the 20 pending bills into a consolidated substitute measure that reflects best practices, addresses operational gaps, and aligns the civil registry system with current demographic realities and technological advancements.

“For many Filipinos, civil registration marks life’s most important moments: birth, marriage, and even death,” Acidre said. “It is how the State recognizes our existence and our place in society. This reform is about making sure every Filipino is seen, recorded, and protected at every stage of life. No one should be invisible in their own country.”