To assist indigent indigenous communities like the Sama-Bajaus in acquiring legal documents like birth certificates, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VII has recently sponsored a free late registration.

DSWD-7 in partnership with Public Attorneys Office, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Cebu City government and Nano Nagle Child Care and Learning Center provided a venue where the Sama-Bajaus of Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City can avail of the free late registration in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 8371 also known as “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.

The Free Civil Registration activity is in line with the Indigenous Peoples Participation Framework geared towards the fulfillment of their community participation and promotion of their rights. It is also in consonance with the Article 7 of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that “The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, the right to know and cared for by his or her parents…”

During the said activity, about 91 birth certificates issued by the City Registrar’s Office and PSA were distributed to the Sama-Bajau parents whose children were registered last year. This year more than 50 are set to be registered.

PSA-7 Regional Director Ronaldo Taghap during the distribution of the birth certificates stressed that such documents should be kept properly as it contains the legal identity of their children.

“We only have one name and we should take care of our identity especially the children who are now enrolled in schools,” Taghap said in local dialect.

Taghap cited that birth certificate is an important document especially in availing various services from the government and the private sector.

Previously assigned in Region IX where a number of the Sama-Bajaus in the country are residing Taghap admitted that civil birth registration among this group of Indigenous People is a big a challenge to the agency given their seaborne lifestyle.

The Sama-Bajaus who are also known as “sea gypsies” are traditionally from the many islands of the Sulu Archipelago. Some of them also come from the coastal areas of Mindanao and northern Borneo.

In Cebu City, about 350 Sama-Bajau families are residing in Barangay Mambaling and about 158 households are beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the conditional cash transfer of the government implemented by DSWD.

Meanwhile, Development Management Officer Hazel Torrefiel of NCIP for her part, explained that they have been closely coordinating with concerned government agencies like PSA as majority of the Sama-Bajaus especially the adults are not registered or does not have birth certificates.

She pointed out that NCIP is mandated to protect and promote the interest and well-being of indigenous peoples with due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions and institutions and this does not include the issuance of birth certificates for the IPs. However, she cited that they help facilitate and provide necessary documents needed for the registration.

Torrefiel made the clarifications because many times her office is asked to issue birth certificates.

NCIP has been doing efforts to facilitate the birth registration of the newborn children and those already enrolled in school.

“We use form 137 of the Department of Education as one of the basis for childrens birth certificates,” Torrefiel said.

Torrefiel, who has been with the NCIP for more than 20 years disclosed that their priority is to register the children and help IP senior citizens avail their privileges.

Moreover, DSWD as the lead social welfare agency and with its implementation of Pantawid Pamilya that requires grantee parents/guardians to enroll their children in school, is also putting efforts to register Sama-Bajau children.

During the monthly Family Development Sessions, grantees are also constantly reminded by the workers to visit health centers and avail of the regular check-ups especially pregnant mothers.

Lorena Sumangdan, 38, a Pantawid Pamilya grantee who now works in SM Seaside and has benefited from the free late registration shared that having a birth certificate is important especially for employment.

An active Parent Leader of the program, Lorena made sure that her children James and Jeremia are registered. ###

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