26 March 2024 – Zamboanga City. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Regional Statistical Services Office (RSSO) IX Regional Director Mewchun WS. Pamaran led the Ceremonial Turnover of Birth Certificate in Security Paper (SECPA), together with Registration Officer IV Roxan Kastine M. Lumapas and the Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP) team. There were one hundred twenty-one (121) registrants from Barangay Kasanyangan who had successfully registered their birth certificates through BRAP. The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) team was also present during the turnover ceremony to immediately register for PhilID those who recently received their birth certificate as their basic documentary requirements for registration in PhilSys.

This remarkable success in birth registration demonstrates the commitment of the PSA to ensure that all Filipinos, especially those belonging to Indigenous Peoples, Muslim Filipinos, and the poorest sectors of the country, will be registered in the local civil registry offices and that they will be enrolled with the PhilSys Identification System, which is a gateway for them to claim their social benefits and have their legal identity.

The team handed over the 121 registered Certificate of Live Birth in Security Paper to the document owners, marking the successful completion of a meticulous process of registration involving screening, data verification, and application for delayed registration of birth at the Local Civil Registry Office.

One of the registrants, Mr. Darah Arana Salim, a long-time resident of the barangay, finally received his birth certificate after 62 years. He expressed his profound gratitude for being able to obtain his birth certificate for free and for being registered for the PhilID. This project has a huge impact to all residents and the entire community of Barangay Kasanyangan, Zamboanga City to have their own identity and are able to avail other benefits from government projects, activities, and programs.

During the turnover, Regional Director Mewchun WS. Pamaran emphasized the importance of having a birth certificate as a fundamental document for identification and is essential for various transactions such 
as for travel, job application, school requirements, application for driver’s license, and others enabling individuals to access health and other social benefits.

MEWCHUN WS. PAMARAN
Regional Director

CES/RKML/NAA