99-year-old Lola Panyang gets birth certificate from PSA

Ninety-nine-year-old "Lola Panyang" has received her first birth certificate before turning 100 in April and becoming eligible for the government's centenarian benefits.

According to Mark Salazar's report on "24 Oras", Estepania Descalzo is the oldest among those who were given birth certificates under the birth registration assistance project of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

A birth certificate is one of the requirements for those who have reached 100 years old to qualify for centenarian benefits.

“Nitong April 24 mag-100 [years old] na po siya talaga...siguro kung may maibibigay po sila,”  Daisy Ramos, grandchild of Lola Panyang, said

(She will turn 100 years old this April 24.)

“Noon kasi hindi mahalaga sa kanila yung birth certificate. Noong unang panahon, ang tinututukan lang nila ay pagtatrabaho sa bukid. 'Yung pag-aalaga sa anak niya. Ganun lang po,” she said.

(Birth certificates were unimportant for them before. They were more focused on farm work and providing for their family.)

Data from the PSA showed there are over 3.5 million Filipinos whose birth, identity, status, and community were not formally registered, causing them to lose access to public services.

Meanwhile, around 719,000 individuals aged 0 to four years old have yet to be provided with birth certificates.

The PSA said it understood that getting a birth certificate is complicated, especially for individuals born in remote communities.

There are three requirements for late registration: the negative result of live birth registration, an affidavit of late registration, and an affidavit of two disinterested parties.

Further, parents may also seek assistance from the civil registration office of their respective municipalities or city hall,  the agency added. -Sundy Locus/NB, GMA Integrated News