Quezon City residents who need to register the birth of their children will soon be saved from the hassles of physical transactions as the local government will soon launch the first online birth registration portal in the country.

Birth registration requirements may be sent through the online portal, making the process more convenient and efficient.

The veracity of all documents submitted online will be checked by the City Civil Registry Department (CCRD).

The new portal is expected to help address problems of late and unregistered birth registration in the city and protect residents from possible exposure to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Aside from the birth registration, other CCRD services that will also be available online are marriage and death registrations.

The City Administrator’s Office and Information Technology Development Department will include the said initiative in the QC E-Services portal, according to a statement by City Civil Registrar Salvador Cariňo Jr.

“We are making all our programs more convenient to the public. Hindi na sila magpapabalik-balik sa city hall kapag may kulang na requirement (They no longer have to go back and forth to the city hall in case they lack a requirement). After sending the documents needed, our staff will review and verify these and will advise the applicant if their certificate is ready for pick-up,” Cariňo said.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said the platform will mean all applications are accepted 24/7.

“Tulad ng business at occupational permits natin na pwedeng mag-apply online, bubuksan na rin natin itong online portal for birth registration (Like our business and occupational permits where one can now apply online, we will also open this online portal for birth registration),” Belmonte said in another statement.

The portal will have real-time tracking and email notification systems.

“Karapatan ng mga bata ang mabigyan ng pangalan at pagkakakilanlan sa pamamagitan ng birth registration (Every child has the right to have a name and identification through the birth registration). Hopefully, we can have the portal up and running before the year ends,” Belmonte said. (PNA)