BACOLOD CITY, March 14 -- Some 1,130 residents of this city without birth records have obtained security paper (SECPA) copies of their certificate of live birth for free under the Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The birth documents, which are authenticated copies issued by the PSA, were distributed in rites held at the Bacolod City College Activity Center on Wednesday.

In a statement on Thursday, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez underscored the importance of having a birth certificate as among the essential documents needed for various official transactions and requirements.

"Congratulations to the beneficiaries for completing their birth registration process and receiving their ...