ILOILO — For three elderly residents of Barangay Nagba, an upland village in Tubungan town, August 6 marked the end of a lifetime without legal identity — and the barriers that came with it.
Living without a birth certificate had long denied them access to healthcare, senior citizen benefits, and other government services.
That changed when police personnel under the Revitalized Pulis Sa Barangay (RPSB) program helped process and deliver their official birth certificates from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), closing a gap that had persisted for decades.
“Kon indi tungod sa mga pulis nga na-deploy diri sa amon barangay, wala kami makakuha sang amon birth certificate. Kami nagapasalamat gid sa ila bulig,” one of the beneficiaries said, expressing gratitude in the local dialect.
The application process began in the last quarter of 2024, with the RPSB team working closely with local officials to guide the residents through the documentation requirements.
Police Captain Mark David Banay, head of the RPSB, said the achievement shows how collaboration can bring vital services to those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
The RPSB is a Philippine National Police initiative that assigns officers to remote villages not only to maintain peace and order but also to assist in securing government services for underserved communities.
The PSA continues its nationwide drive to document Filipinos without civil registry records, focusing on vulnerable sectors such as senior citizens and indigenous peoples./PN
