A TOTAL of 1,200 individuals in the far-flung towns of Mapun and Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi are set to receive their free birth certificates through a birth registration initiative funded by the Japan government and implemented by the Ministry of Social Services and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-Barmm).
The project is targeting marginalized communities across 50 areas in Barmm. It is implemented in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The residents of the two island towns often face significant challenges in accessing basic government services, including something as fundamental as birth registration, because of their remote locations.
Mapun is an island town in the Sulu Sea on the south-western extreme of the Philippines, located very close to Palawan as well as Malaysia. The town has a population of 30,038 people as of the 2020 census.
Mapun was formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu until 1984, then as Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi until 1988.
The Turtle Islands town is located within the Sulu Sea at the south-western tip of the country, at the edge of the international treaty limits separating the Philippines and Malaysia. It has a population of 5,683 as of the 2020 census.
"Limited access to birth registration remains a major concern," Sheba Jamaluddin, Mapun Municipal Social Welfare Officer, said in a statement.
Jamaluddin noted that some members of the Sama Bajau community do not view birth certificates as necessary.
"Our role in this initiative is to coordinate the registration process on the ground and advocate for its importance in accessing government support," she added.
Barbangsa Jalaide, Turtle Islands Municipal Social Welfare Officer, added that many children in their area remain undocumented because their parents themselves lack birth certificates and often don't realize how crucial it is to have one.
"However, MSSD has built trust within these communities. Now, we can directly encourage parents to register their children and highlight on the benefits of legal identity in accessing MSSD and Barmm programs and services," Jalaide said.
The birth registration initiative aims to register at least 30,000 individuals in Barmm between July 2024 and June 2026.
This aligns with the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) broader goal of registering over 400,000 individuals by the end of 2027, addressing a backlog of an estimated two million unregistered births in Barmm.
The birth registration project is also supported by the PSA-Barmm, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Unicef Philippines, Community and Family Services International, and Relief International. (SunStar Zamboanga)