NSO Southern Leyte spearheads first provincial barangay secretaries convention for civil registration

By FAITH GENOVANA, PIA Maasin
February 3, 2011

MAASIN CITY  –  In connection with the observance of February as Civil Registration Month, the National Statistics Office (NSO) In Southern Leyte will be initiating the first Provincial Civil Registration Convention of Barangay Secretaries this coming February 18, 2011.

The day-long, historic event will be held at the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) gym in Sogod town, and it will be graced by luminaries and civil registration experts coming from the NSO central office.

The visitors will also serve as lecturers during the one-day orientation seminar for all the barangay secretaries from all the 500 barangays of the province.

In fact, this will be the first time such gathering of barangay secretaries can take place all throughout the country for the purpose of learning how to handle civil registration procedures and related matters at the barangay level.

It is expected that the village secretaries can learn the basics of birth, marriage and death registration, including the new civil registry laws such as RA 9048 (Clerical Error Law) and RA 9255 (Illegitimate Children’s Act).

The convention was carried out in coordination and cooperation with the Southern Leyte Municipal Civil Registrar’s Association, Inc. (SOLEMCRA).

Also in the month of February, the provincial NSO will be initiating civil registration symposiums in different schools and colleges around the province to further create awareness among students on the relevance of their civil registry documents.

February every year was declared as Civil Registration Month pursuant to Proclamation No. 682 signed by then President Corazon Aquino.

This year’s theme, “Quality Civil Registration in Support of the National Development Goals,” enshrines the importance of quality civil registry data in the formulation of accurate development plans.