President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday instructed the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to streamline and speed up civil registry document processing, particularly birth certificate corrections.
This is part of efforts to expand digital services and improve public access to records, the President said.
In his latest vlog, Mr. Marcos highlighted ongoing initiatives to enhance government digital platforms, including the implementation of the eGov app.
“Nitong nakaraang linggo lang, sa pamamagitan ng PSA or Philippine Statistics Authority, mayroon na tayong PSA e-certificate service. Dito na kayo makakapag-apply ng digital copy ng inyong birth certificate, marriage certificate, at iba pang mga dokumento,” he said.
(Just last week, through the PSA or Philippine Statistics Authority, we now have the PSA e-certificate service. Here you can apply for a digital copy of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and other documents.)
Mr. Marcos acknowledged persistent difficulties in obtaining documents and applying for identification cards, especially among vulnerable and geographically isolated communities.
“Sa tingin ko, sa mga nagagawa na ating improvement gamit ang eGov at internet, dapat ay isa na ito sa mga serbisyong hindi na natin inaalala. Napaka-basic naman niyan at ilang oras ang kakainin sa inyong araw para lang pilahan ang iisang dokumento,” he added.
(I think that with the improvements we’ve made using eGov and the internet, this should be one of the services we no longer worry about. It’s a basic service, yet it can take hours of your day just to line up for a single document.)
The PSA recently launched its e-Certificate service, allowing Filipinos to request digital copies of civil registry documents.
Earlier, the PSA said PSAHelpline.ph is now a fully digital platform where users can request e-certificates that carry the same legal validity as traditional PSA-issued documents.
“Gamitin natin nang gamitin at kami naman sa national government, dapat ay padadaliin namin ang proseso. Kaya PSA, padaliin niyo na, pabilisin niyo na,” Mr. Marcos said.
(Let’s make use of it, and we in the national government must simplify the process. So PSA, make it easier and faster.)
However, the President noted that physical verification may still be required in some cases to prevent fraud, citing the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo.
In 2025, the PSA identified the birth certificate of Guo as fraudulent, prompting lawmakers to investigate those behind the fake documents.
