Question & AnswerQ&A (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 766)
The main purpose of Presidential Decree No. 766 is to amend Sections 2 and 5 of Presidential Decree No. 651 by extending the period for the registration of births and deaths in the Philippines up to December 31, 1975, without fine or fee, and providing provisions on registration procedures and liabilities.
The attending physician, nurse, midwife, hilot, hospital or clinic administrator are primarily responsible for registering births within 30 days from birth. If there is no such attendant, either parent or a responsible family member or any person who has knowledge of the birth can register the birth.
The parents or any responsible member of the family and the attendant at birth or hospital/clinic administrator are jointly liable if they fail to register a newborn child. If no attendant was present or the child was not born in a hospital, the parents or responsible family member alone are primarily liable.
Unregistered births and deaths which occurred from March 17, 1975, to November 30, 1975, must be registered until December 31, 1975, without any fine or fee.
Deaths must be reported by the nearest responsible relative or any person with knowledge of the death within 48 hours after death to the Local Health Officer. The Local Health Officer then issues the certificate of death and orders its registration within 30 days.
If a physician attended the deceased, the physician must issue the certificate of death within 48 hours after death and submit it to the Local Health Officer, who orders registration within 30 days without fee or fine.
The attending physician and the responsible family member or person knowledgeable of the death are jointly liable. If no physician attended or the death did not occur in a hospital, the responsible family member alone is liable for failure to report.
Section 5-A provides that the registration periods for unregistered births and deaths may be extended in meritorious cases by the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority upon recommendation of the Civil Registrar-General.
No, the decree explicitly states that registration within the prescribed or extended periods must be done without any fine or fee of any kind.
Presidential Decree No. 766 took effect immediately upon its signing on August 8, 1975.