Poor to be exempted from civil registry fees

Cebu City Councilor Sisinio Andales wants indigent Cebu City residents to be exempted from the payment of fees in filing for birth, marriage or death certificate applications and in seeking correction of erroneous entries in City Civil Registry records.

Andales, head of the Council’s laws committee, said fees exemption will hasten the processing of documents needed for city residents’ registration and availment of services offered by concerned government offices.

“This representation had observed that some Cebu City residents are unable to process their application (for) birth registration and for corrections or changes in their birth records or the lack of it due to the prohibitive costs of the filing and other fees and expenses in relations therewith,” said a draft ordinance which he presented to the City Council during their November 4 session.

Andales’s proposed measure entitled “Exempting indigent residents of Cebu City from birth, marriage or death registration fees or late birth, marriage or death registration fee imposed and the payment of filing and certain fees collected by the Office of the City Civil Registration on correction or changes of records in civil registry” was referred to the laws committee through its vice chairperson and vice mayor Edgar Labella for review.

But while he seeks to waive payment for the filing of civil registry documents, Andales included safeguards in his draft ordinance to make sure that the legislation will only benefit poor city residents.

Applicants will be required to secure an indigent certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) which they will attach to their City Civil Registry Office request for the issuance of documents.

Fines ranging from P2,000 to P5,000 will be imposed on those caught violating provisions of the ordinance.