Manila, March 19 -- The House Committee on Population and Family Relations has approved a substitute bill updating the country's civil registry system to address long-standing gaps in birth and death registration that affect millions of Filipinos.

The panel consolidated more than 29 measures, including House Bill No. 5213, principally authored by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, along with Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre.

The proposed Philippine Civil Registry Act, which is a part of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., seeks to amend Republic Act 3753, a 1930 law governing the registrati...