26 October 2015 – The Philippine Embassy in Rome, in cooperation with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) successfully conducted a Seminar on Civil Registration on October 15 to underscore the importance of registering vital events (birth, marriage, death) of Filipinos overseas with Philippine Foreign Service Posts.

The speakers, PSA Deputy National Statistician for Civil Registration and Civil Support Estela de Guzman and Interim Assistant National Statistician Lourdes Hufana, discussed the definition and concept of Civil Registration, particularly, “the continuous, permanent and compulsory recording of the civil status of persons and modifications thereof” and its significance to the individual when establishing one’s identity, enrolling in school, obtaining passport, driver’s license, claiming benefits, insurance, pensions, inheritance and tax exemptions, securing professional license, taking licensure examinations and applying for marriage license.

The speakers reminded the community that civil registration should be accomplished within 30 days from occurrence of the vital event to the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General.

At the end of the lecture, members of the community were given an opportunity to consult with PSA their individual civil registry concerns, most notable of which is the difficulty to secure civil registry documents for Filipinos overseas. PSA responded that there is a new facility, www.ecensus.com.ph, which allows Filipinos to request their civil registry documents online upon payment of the required fees. END