Davao City civil registrar to establish registration desks in IP communities

The Davao City Civil Registrar’s Office is set to establish registration centers in 16 far-flung barangays this year under its Indigenous Peoples Civil Registration System program.

Davao City has an average annual birth registration of 35,000, annual death registra- tion of 8,000, and annual marriage registration of 10,000. However, these numbers do not accurately reflect the current population density of the city due to the undetermined number of unregistered citizens.

City Civil Registrar’s Office head Leo Anthony Braceros told the I-Speak media forum on Thursday that previous efforts fall short in urging all citizens to register births, marriages and deaths, especially in far-flung areas with the highest concentration of IP population.

“We noticed na eveytime mag-conduct ta og mobile registration in very remote areas, naa pa gihapoy mabilin na IPs na unregistered since we cannot stay there for long,” he said.

“That is why we decided to establish a civil registration system right there in their vicinity,” Braceros added.

He said that 16 locations in 16 barangays inFDAVAO, P8

Abarangay in the municipality of Magpet, Province of Cotabato was placed in the Zero Open Defecation (ZOD) status after being verified by the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) on January 31, 2023.

The IPHO team led by supervising sanitation Inspector Emelinda T. Diesto and the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the said municipality surveyed every household of Brgy. Temporan to ensure that residents have toilets that conformed to the guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH).

The said barangay is expected to receive 20 pieces of toilet bowls and a P25,000 incentive from the Town of Magpet.

Brgy. Captain Rose O. Legaria thanked for the support of the provincial government and the local government of the town of Magpet in achieving the ZOD status.

She also thanked the barangay officials, BHWs, and others for their efforts in inspecting the assigned sites to ensure that all households have clean toilets. She also expressed admiration for the residents for their cooperation and adherence to the set rules to achieve ZOD status.

The program is part of the goal of DOH in ending open defecation practices in the communities.

Health and sanitation are part of the key programs of Governor Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza.

Mendoza emphasized that when people defecate in the open, in fields and waterways, the children will more likely get diarrhea, worm infections, and be undernourished.

“To reduce illness, it is important for us to raise awareness and promote hygienic and safe practices specially in the communities,” she said.

The verification will also be done in other barangays.