BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance amending Section 24 of Ordinance No. 2000-001, or the city’s tax ordinance that was passed over two decades ago.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan and Councilors Benny Bomogao, Lilia Fariñas, Arthur Alad-iw and Levy Lloyd Orcales states the need to amend the prevailing rates being charged by the Local Civil Registry Office to conform with the current trend of the times as the same had not changed for two decades now.
The proponents claimed the current fees being collected by the Local Civil Registry Office are reportedly obsolete and needs to be updated.
Further, the ordinance underscores there is a need to increase the prescribed fees being collected by the Local Civil Registry Office to maintain and upgrade efficient services to the public as requested by the said office.
Under the proposed ordinance, the new fees to be charged for documents issued by the local Civil Registry office are certificate of birth, marriage or death – P80; certified true copy and other certifications per page – P60; late registration fees, beyond 30 days but less than a year – P100, beyond 1 year – P200; marriage application and processing fee – P220; security documents – P150; supplemental report – P220; Memorandum circular 2010-04 – P150; electronic endorsement for clearer or negative copy – P160; Republic Act 9048 or petition for change of first name – P3,000, correction of clerical error – P1,000, service (migrant) CFN and RA 1072 – P1,000 and CCE – P500; registration of legal instruments, legitimation, acknowledgement, emancipation of minor, election of Philippine citizenship, loss of Filipino citizenship, registration of affidavit of re-appearance and repatriation – P200; and registration of court decrees or decisions, adoption, naturalization, legal separation, guardianship, judicial determination of paternity filiation, civil interdiction among others – P400.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, the Local Civil Registrar is the office in charge with the duty of implementing the provisions of the Civil Registry Law and its implementing rules and regulations in the city or municipality.
Vital events in the life of a person starts from birth wherein the child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to known and be cared for by his or her parents and that birth may occur in the hospital, clinic, at home or in a vehicle on a trip and registration period for birth is within 30 days and beyond the same, registration is considered late.
The certificate of marriage must be registered in the same office within 15 days for marriages with license and within 30 days for marriage of exceptional character.
Death refers to the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place and no man body shall be buried unless the proper death certificate has been presented and recorded in the same office and it shall be the responsibility of the physician who last attended the deceased or the administrator of the hospital or clinic where the person died to prepare the certificate of earth and to certify as to the cause of death.
By Dexter A. See