BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan on Monday expressed concern over the continued rise in the number of illegitimate children in the city.
“This is a cause for alarm especially as it concerns the welfare of these children. I hope the parents of these children will realize the value of being united in marriage for the sake of their children. It’s a pitiful situation for these kids to be branded as illegitimate children forever,” the mayor told City Hall flag-raising program.
He was reacting to the report of the Local Civil Registry under Civil Registrar Sylvia Laudencia that the number of babies born out of wedlock last year continued to be high at 4,668 which represents 47.31 percent of the total number of births registered in 2017.
Although the number of illegitimate children rose by only .68 percent in 2017 as compared to the figure in 2016, it remains considerably high as it represents almost half of the new births recorded.
In the report read by Assistant Registrar Bernardita Tabin, the office also reported that 9.79 percent of the total live births in the city were delivered by teenage mothers with ten births by mothers below 15 years of age.
Noting that these figures do not sit well with the City’s Character City status, the mayor directed concerned departments to intensify information-education-communication (IEC) programs and strengthen their programs to encourage unmarried couples with children to legalize their union and to discourage couples from engaging in sex outside of matrimony.
In their report, the LCR reported registering a total of 9,867 live births in 2017, 5,107 or 51.76 percent males and 4,760 or 48.24 percent females.
For deaths, they recorded a total of 2,566 which is 3.09 percent higher from the 2,489 total in 2016.
“The male population accounts for the 1,484 deaths or 58.78 percent over the females with 1,082 deaths,” the report said.
Infant deaths (deaths below one-year old) decreased by 1.09 percent from 91 in 2016 to 90 in 2017.
On marriage, a total of 1,704 marriages were listed which posted a 2.21 percent increase from 1,667 in 2016. A total of 667 performed under civil ceremony while 577 performed under church rites.
The office also acted on a total of 1,145 petitions for correction of clerical error under Republic Act 9048 or the Clerical Error Law and 88 petitions were “migrant petition.”
Migrant petitions refer to persons whose present residence is different from where his civil registry record is registered.
“They may file the petition in the nearest LCRO in his area and their petition will be treated as migrant petitions.”
By: Aileen P. Refuerzo
