PSA Guimaras boosts inclusive civil registration for IPs

Upholding the government’s commitment to ensure that no one is left behind in civil registration, the Philippine Statistics Authority-Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office, in partnership with the Guimaras Civil Registrars’ Association Inc., conducted the 2025 year-end assessment, action planning workshop for 2026, and capacity development training on civil registration from Nov. 24–26, 2025, at Punta Villa Resort in Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

The three-day activity brought together municipal civil registrars and civil registration personnel from across the province to strengthen competencies and enhance strategies in delivering inclusive, accessible and responsive civil registration services, particularly for Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Filipinos.

The training-workshop formally opened with welcome remarks from Hon. Emmanuel C. Galila, municipal mayor of Nueva Valencia, who expressed the local government’s support for initiatives that protect the legal identity of all residents.

A message from Nelida B. Losare, provincial statistics officer of PSA Guimaras, followed, emphasizing that inclusive civil registration is fundamental to social protection, planning and the recognition of every Filipino’s rights.

Key discussions focused on the registration of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples and Muslim Filipinos, an overview of Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics implementation, and updates on Civil Registration General memorandum circulars.

“These sessions were facilitated by the Guimaras Civil Registrars’ Association Inc., with resource persons from the Civil Register Management Division-Civil Registration Service of PSA, Mr. Rodel de la Fuente, Registration Officer III, and Registration Officer IV Mary Grace Dorilag of PSA Regional Statistical Services Office VI,” Losare said.

Participants actively engaged in open forums, annotation workshops and experience-sharing sessions to address operational challenges and identify best practices in reaching underserved and vulnerable populations.

The activity also featured the presentation of 2025 municipal accomplishment reports and culminated in a 2026 action planning workshop, where priority interventions were identified to further improve civil registration coverage in the province.

Losare said the workshop also reinforced interagency collaboration and policy alignment among civil registration stakeholders, enabling participants to identify service gaps and agree on concrete measures to improve outreach, documentation and registration for marginalized and hard-to-reach populations across Guimaras.

“The activity concluded with a renewed commitment from PSA Guimaras and local civil registrars to strengthen collaboration and ensure that every Guimarasnon—regardless of culture, belief, or location—is registered, recognized, and counted,” Losare said.