Guidelines on issuance of certifications

Requests for information and certifications must be filed with the Records Section.
Requests are processed on a strictly "first come, first served" basis to ensure fairness.

All requests must be formal:
- Official requests must be typewritten on official stationery.
- Personal requests must be legibly typewritten on a clean sheet.
- Informal or hastily prepared requests on scraps of paper are not accepted.

Each request must include:
- Date of the request.
- Name and address of the requestor.
- Name of the person whose records are sought.
- Purpose of the request or the specific information required.
- Valid identification of the requestor.
For requests by other government offices, the name, office designation, and address of the government official concerned must be included.
Certificates for use by other government offices are not released directly to the requestor but sent via mail to the concerned office.

Requests must be accompanied by a stamped envelope with the requestor’s address.
For government-to-government transrouting, the envelope must bear the recipient official’s name and address.

Maintain and publicly post a checklist of all submission requirements and guidelines at reception points and main bulletin boards.
Verify completeness of all requests prior to acceptance.
Forward requests to the Commissioner’s office for approval.
Record and mail certifications or letters using the provided stamped envelope.
Ensure prompt processing with initial steps (1-6) completed within 15 minutes.

Requests undergo approval by the Commissioner on the same day for expedited handling.
Upon approval, the requestor is required to pay applicable fees before processing continues.

Each certificate or letter-response must specify the precise purpose of issuance.
General or vague terms such as "for whatever purpose it may serve" or "for information purposes" are expressly disallowed to preserve clarity and legal validity.

The procedure stresses rapid processing to uphold the constitutional right to information.
The Commissioner and Records Section are expected to act promptly and efficiently to facilitate requests within a single day.

This administrative instruction was adopted on February 2, 1988, under Commissioner Miriam Defensor Santiago, providing authoritative procedural guidance on issuance of certifications related to official files.