33rd CRM celebration in Guimaras officially opens

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The month-long celebration of the 33rd Civil Registration Month (CRM) in Guimaras province officially opened on February 2, 2022, with an information drive/caravan around the province, from the town of Jordan to Nueva Valencia, Sibunag, San Lorenzo, and ended up in Buenavista for the Opening Program.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Guimaras in partnership with the Municipal Civil Registrars (MCRs), took the lead in the info drive/caravan around Guimaras province while playing the CRVS Jingle to stir awareness of the general public on the importance of Civil Registration.

The presentation of Guimaras’ Vital Events for 2021-2022 and the Quiz Bee contest for the Local Civil Registrars’ (LCR) staff highlighted the said event.

Mayor Samuel T. Guimarin of Buenavista and the Registration Officer IV of PSA- Region 6, Mary Grace Dorilag, graced the opening ceremony of the 33rd CRM.

Gumarin acknowledged the importance of the work of the Civil Registrars, and he also highlighted the importance of vital statistics in planning out policies and programs, especially for those unregistered individuals.

“We are thankful we have the PSA Provincial Office here in Guimaras, by which our Municipal Civil Registrar can collaborate in registering unregistered Guimarasnons from infants to our senior citizens, we can also give assistance for those identified unregistered individuals to have them registered, to avail of various government benefits/assistance,” Gumarin said.

Gumarin also expressed gratitude for choosing Buenavista Municipality to host the 33rd CRM Opening Ceremonies.

Ms. Dorilag also showed her gratitude to the Guimaras Civil Registrars’ Association, Inc. (GCRAI) for inviting her to be part of the activity, in which she got the chance to share her insights on the importance of Civil Registration, expounding the theme of this year’s celebration: “PSA @ 10: Providing Efficient and Effective Civil Registration and Vital Statistics through Digital Transformation.”

“It is necessary to provide an efficient and effective civil registration and vital statistics to our constituents. To be efficient, we should do things right, while to be effective, we should do the right thing. So as a public servant, it is our duty and responsibility to serve the general public efficiently and effectively,” Dorilag said.

Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare extended her warm appreciation to the Local Chief Executive of Buenavista for hosting the opening ceremony. She affirmed that the PSA Guimaras is in close coordination and collaboration with the 5 MCRs of Guimaras province in achieving the goal of the CRVS decade, that by 2024 no one should be left behind unregistered.

“We are grateful for the help of Mr. Michael Esprago for developing a user-friendly database system, the Barangay Civil Registration System for data banking, which is now utilized by all municipalities, and through this, the CRVS goal of zeroing out the unregistered vital events is nearing to its realization,” Losare said. 

Likewise, Losare declared the official opening of the month-long celebration in Guimaras province and presented the comparative  2021 and 2022 Vital Statistics, which showed a 17.02% increment in the registered vital stat for 2022, an increment in birth statistics, dominated by females, the -24.09% reduction in deaths after the pandemic, its leading causes, the 6.11% increase in registered marriages, and the youngest age of bride and groom as well as the oldest groom and bride registered in 2022.

The best-performing Local Civil Registry Office (LCROs) and Municipal Civil Registrars (MCRs) were acknowledged and awarded a plaque of recognition: Jordan LCRO as the most innovative and top-performing LCRO for 2022, followed by Nueva Valencia and Buenavista LCROs.

Certificates of Recognition for their untiring support and dedication in the implementation of Civil Registration Services, BCRS, PBRAP, reaching out to the less fortunate and those persons deprived of liberty to avail government services that will lead toward the achievement of the CRVS decade goal that by 2024 no Guimarasnons should be left behind unregistered, were awarded to the Municipal Civil Registrars of Guimaras.

A Special award and certificate of recognition for his noble contribution to the development of BCRS of Guimaras data banking, useful for local planning and in identifying the unregistered individuals that will ease the achievement of the CRVS decade goal, was awarded to Mr. Michael Esprago of LCRO Jordan.

The celebration of the 33rd CRM aligns with Presidential Proclamation No. 682, signed by former President Corazon C. Aquino on Jan 28, 1991, declaring February of every year as Civil Registration Month.