WHEREAS, Sections 2 and 5 of Presidential Decree No. 651, requires unregistered births and deaths which occurred from January 1, 1974 up to the date when said decree becomes effective, to be registered in the Office of the Local Civil Registrar of the place where the event occurred within sixty (60) days or from March 16 to May 16, 1975, without fine or fee of any kind:

WHEREAS, the same sections of said decree also provide that all births and deaths occurring after the effectivity of the said decree must be registered within thirty (30) days from date of occurrence, without fee or fine of any kind;

WHEREAS, due to the present difficulties in the Mindanao area and the lack of facilities and communication the convey the relevance and importance of the registration to the births and deaths, there is a strong clamor for the extension, of the period for the registration of births and deaths beyond the period prescribed by P.D. 651;

WHEREAS, the extension of the prescribed period of registration would give more time for complete registration of births and deaths and provides reliable sources of adequate vital statistics for the country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Presidential Decree No. 651 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 2. Period of Registration of births.—The registration of the birth of babies referred to in the preceding Section including those unregistered births which occurred from March 17, 1975, to November 30, 1975, must be done until December 31, 1975, without fine or fee of any kind. Babies born after November 30, 1975 and thereafter, must be registered within thirty (30) days from birth without fine or fee or any kind toy the attending physician, nurse, midwife, hilot or hospital or clinic administrator or, in default of the same, by either parent or a responsible member of the family or any person who has knowledge of the birth.

"The parents or any responsible member of the family and the attendant at birth or the hospital or clinic administrator referred to above shall be jointly liable in case they fail to register the new born child. If there was no attendant at birth, or if the child was not born in a hospital or maternity clinic then the parents or responsible member of the family alone shall be primarily liable in case of failure to register the new born child."

SEC. 2. Section 5 of the same decree is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 5. Period of reporting and registration of deaths.—The registration of deaths referred to in the proceding Section including those unregistered deaths which occurred from March 17, 1975, to November 30, 1975, must be done until December 31, 1975, without fine or fee of any kind. Deaths occurring after November 30, 1975 and thereafter, must be reported by the nearest responsible relative or any person who has knowledge of the death within 48 hours after death to the Local Health Officer of the place of death, who shall then issue the corresponding certificate of death and order its registration in the Office of the Local Civil Registrar within thirty (30) days after death, without fee or fine of any kind. In case the deceased was attended to by a physician, the latter must issue the necessary certificate of death within 48 hours after death and submit the same to the Local Health Officer of the place of death, who shall order its registration in the Office of the Local Civil Registrar within the said period of thirty (30) days after death, without fee or fine of any kind."

The attending physician and responsible member of the family or person who has knowledge of the death are jointly liable for failure to report the death to the Local Health Officer, for registration by the Local Civil Registrar of the place of death. If the deceased was not attended by a physician or did not die in the hospital, the responsible member of the family alone shall be responsible for failure to submit the report of death to the Local Health Officer.

SEC. 3. The same decree is amended by adding the following section immediately after Section 5 thereof, which read as follows:

"SEC. 5-A. Extension of Registration.—The aforecited periods within which to register unregistered births and deaths may be extended in meritorious cases by th'3 Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority upon the recommendation of the Civil Registrar-General."

SEC. 4. All laws or part of laws inconsistent with this Decree are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila this 8th day of August, in the year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-five.