- Plan ahead. This is necessary especially to those whose place of birth is far from where they are currently residing. Book your trip ahead of time to avail promos or discounts to minimize transportation expenses. Allot enough (or more) time and expect the unexpected because we have to deal with government officials who would sometimes say “Balik na lang kayo bukas, the day after the next, and so on”, like I myself had experienced. It would also be helpful not to file for a petition of correction on ELECTION SEASON and after regular/special holidays for obvious reasons.
- Research. I mentioned in my previous post that the provision and implementing rules and regulations of this law did not mention any specific requirements. The statements “At least 2 public or private documents to support your claim”, “Earliest School Record”,
“Other documents which the petitioner or the city or municipal civil registrar or the consul general may consider relevant and necessary for the approval of the petition” and “Certification issued by an accredited government physician attesting to the fact that claimant has NOT undergone a sex change or sex transplant” are vague and thus confuse the petitioners even more.There were a lot of questions which remain unanswered. For example, what earliest school record do they need, diploma, school card? What if the only earliest school record that I have is my high school CAT diploma? Where do I have to undergo medical check-up, to the place where I was born or to the place where I am currently residing? What are the other documents which will be considered relevant?
NOTE:
Never assume that the requirements in one municipality/city are
applicable to another. Thus, know the requirements in the
city/municipality where you were born.
- Ask someone to inquire for you. Remember the rule: the petitioner shall go to the place where his/her birth was registered. You were lucky enough if you were born in the place where you are currently residing because you would be filing the petition effortlessly. But if you are presently residing in Batanes but were born in Tawi-tawi, that would be very troublesome. In that case, it would be better to ask someone drop by the office of Civil Registrar to ask for the requirements and payment.Tip: When my mom visited the Municipal Civil Registrar's Office, she brought the NSO copy of my birth certificate and she had the clerk examine it. Because of that, we found out that gender entry and my mom's middle name were not the only errors, there were others which we were not able to find out earlier. That's why I would like to advise you to give an NSO copy of your birth certificate to the person who would be doing the inquiry. Advise him/her to secure a copy of the fees to be collected and requirements from the clerk himself.
- Prepare the necessary documents. Tip: Be well-organized and prepare ahead of time. There are some documents which you have to wait longer to be released (like requesting a copy of school diploma or NBI clearance for those who have common names and surnames). Take note of the documents that you need to secure within the place of your residency (like Police Clearance) and within the place where you were born (Medical Certificate).
- Allot enough (or more than enough) money. Filing fee costs three thousand pesos, but this is just one of the things that you have to pay for. You also have to allot money for transportation, medical fee, certification fees and others.
- Familiarize. Get to know who the Civil Registrar is. If you have a relative or a friend who could help you or if they know someone who is working inside the office of the MCR, the better.Well, these are my tips based on my experience. Good luck!
Related Posts:
RA 10172
RA 10172 and My (Mis)adventures (Part 4: The Ordeal )
RA 10172 and My (Mis)adventures (Part 3: Race against Time )
RA 10172 and My (Mis)adventures (Part 2: Requirements)
RA 10172 and My (Mis)adventures (Part 1-Preview)
No comments:
Post a Comment