I read on the Internet very often about name issues in the Philippines. No, I am not talking about names that are strange to us, I’m not talking about funny nicknames. I am talking today about Philippine Birth Certificates. I see on blogs, and read on various e-mail lists people saying that there is a problem for their wife or loved one because the name on their birth certificate does not match what their real name is.
Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is.
Anybody who says that the name on the birth certificate doesn’t match what the girl’s real name is, is simply wrong. The real name is the name that is on the birth certificate. Let’s look at Feyma as an example. Feyma has been called Feyma all of her life. However, the name on her birth certificate is Maria Pima. Pima instead of Feyma.
But, it is generally the same for us westerners. Almost everybody calls me Bob. On my birth certificate, though, it says “Robert”. Bob is my nickname, no big deal. All of my official documents say Robert, even though I am commonly called Bob.
What I hear from people is that they are preparing to file a Visa petition, and they first have to file a petition in the Philippines to get the birth certificate changed to get the right name on it. Why? When I filed for Feyma’s Visa to come to the USA, I filed it under her birth certificate name, “Pima.” No, nobody ever called her that name, but that is the name that is officially registered with the Government, so for any official paperwork, that is the name to be used. No, I didn’t file a case in court to change her birth certificate to Feyma, I just filed for her Visa under the official name. The girl should also file for her passport or any other such documents under her birth certificate name. Problem solved. No cases to file.
The problem is that it is actually quite common in the Philippines for the birth certificate to show a name other than the name that has been used for the person all of their life. In Feyma’s case, she told me that when her Dad went to register the birth at the Government office, he forgot the exact spelling of her name that they had agreed on, and thus it was recorded in a way different from what was used. This is a very common problem in the Philippines. But, same thing in the States, although I was called “Bobby” when I was a little kid, that certainly was not recorded on my birth certificate.
So, when it comes to issues like this, my advice is to just use common sense. The name that you call somebody does not have to mach what their official name is. I’m pretty sure a lot of people call me names that would never be recorded on my birth certificate!
hI bOB,
You got that right! Why bother filing a change of name if the person filing something for somebody will just take time to read what's written on the birth certificate, then they cant go wrong! As you've said, common sense should prevail. My mom used to celebrate her b-day on the 15th of JUly only to find out 50 years later, she was actually born, July 9th. now she celebrates it the whole one week… he-he-he too costly! though….
Hi Bob,
I think you should file for name change to "Mindanao Bob" LOL.
regards Chas.
Kamusta ka Bob,
I agree whole heartedly with you on this one Bob, why make more work for yourself, its a long process to start with.
By the way, say hello to Pima for me :).
Salamat kaayo,
Danny 🙂
Hi Bob!
Frankly speaking, all the Birth certificates over there are pretty hard to read, hehe. My wifes "BC" is almost unreadable to a certain point!
Hi Cris – Your mom has the right spirit!! I think that's great! 😆
What do you mean, chasdv? You think that's not on my birth certificate? 😀
Hi Danny – Yep! I just don't understand why this is even an issue. You just file under the name that is shown on the certificate!
BTW, Pima says hello, Daniel. It is Daniel, right? 😉
Hi Jason – It seems like most official documents, even recent ones, are on paper and with typing that makes them look like some kind of ancient Roman left overs!
Hi Bob!
On my original hand typed birth certificate it had my name listed as Thoma. Fortunately the new computer generated copy has it as Thomas. My father always said his middle name is John but when I ordered a copy of his birth certificate I noticed that he has no middle name. Here in the backwards south people often give children nick-names as formal names. One person I know is named BJ as a legal name. Then of course is the urban legend of the immigrant that named her daughter female because she assumed her daughter was prenamed Female Gonzalez because she was wearing a hospital braclet bearing that name.
Wifes cousin in Cebu is called bikbik, its a nickname, his legal name is "boy" , why? when he was born they could not decide what to name him so they just called him boy !
Hi brian – Hmm… if you were that guy, which would you prefer being on the birth certificate, Bikbik or Boy? For me, I can't call it! BTW, are you certain that it is not "Bhoy" that is the common spelling here!
Yes, it is Daniel, but am called a lot of different names especially by my brothers, of course when mom isn't around…lol.
I hope this isn't too much off subject, but about 20 years ago, I had my wallet stolen, and when I went to get my Maryland drivers license replaced, they wouldn't accept my original birth certificate from the hospital I was born in. So I had to send away to the Dept. of Vital Statistics, and get a new one….back then it was only about $8.00, but now is a lot more…I guess that is normal now a days…
Salamat kaayo,
Danny 🙂
Hi Danny – Yep, everything is way up in price these days, even here in the Philippines. It's a fact of life, I guess. 😉
Hi Bob – "Up North," the newspapers are full of name change legal announcements. Never gave it a thought, though. Didn't know if someone was changing their birth certificate name for the name they are known under, if changing the name to get rid of part of it (as in retaliation against a parent or guardian), or just what the heck.
Now that you bring it up, my interest is piqued. I'll have to go on a "legal" adventure some day and dig into the dirt looking for the tale behind it all.
Hi Bob! It's a very common mistake in the Philippine birth registrations. I had to go through all the troubles about getting a notarized documentation from a lawyer, before I could apply for a PI passport. Although I have the correct first name in my birth certificate, my last name was mispelled. My middle name, which is my mom's maiden name was also mispelled. My Dad's first name was also mispelled. I guess in all the excitement of havin' a new baby, my parents didn't really double checked that the nurse had the names spelled right. Also, the nurse just scribbled the name probably and whoever typed it later to the real certificate could not read or could careless about what was the handwritten name, thus all the mispellings.There was no computer then, you know? All of these info these matters according to the officials in CDO office where I submitted my passport application. Like me and for most people, it is easier to just get the name listed in the birth certificate changed to what was really carried name over the years coz then you won't have to go through all the troubles of getting all your school record changed. Imagine, from kindergarten to college documents that you have to get corrected. In America, it's not such a big deal because you have the SS number that really identifies who you are. In Philippines, we don't have such luck. My sister named Jee was checked in the box as boy, and didn't found out till she needs her birth certificate copy to take the teacher's board exam. What a mess, to have a lawyer change it and present it to a judge. Now if you know Philippines, there's this thing called a laid back attitude. It took forever till the judge signed the documents. With the computer age, hope things are not as bad anymore.
Hi Paul – Maybe after you do your due diligence you can write an article or two on what you find out!
true. my name on my birth certificate is "Mariano Dwyer". But i've been going by "Macky" since day 1.
In fact, in my line of work, where my name is used for advertising & in print, I stick with "Macky".
Funny that it took me 33 yrs & a move to a latin country to finally use my legal birth name (well, sometimes anyway).
Hi Bob! In my case, it was not the name or spelling that was in contention but the date! All my life until I was 22 years, I knew my birthday was nov 13. But when we requested for the NSO copy, it said nov. 14! My mom said she was sure it was nov. 13. LOL.
Kumusta ka, Mariano. Or, I guess for you it's como esta? Ha ha.. So, around town there in Mexico, do you go by Mariano most of the time?
Hi Cathy – Ha ha… the NSO is just trying to make you a little younger than you really are… you should appreciate that! 😉
Bob,that's true in my case i paid more than PHP 5,000.00 and waited for 6 months to process my birth certificate , it happened when i was suppose to get married, they asked me to get a certifate of singleness from NSO.On my BC my mother's name is different from what she normally used,ive'd been through a lot of trouble just to fix it they said it was a "clerical errors". Now on my BC they just put a remarks for confirmation that they change my mother's name so i have 5 offical documents attached to my BC,it's the" endorsement, record sheet,certificate of finality, cetificate of correction of clerical error in the BC and action taken by CRG (civil registrar)". Can you imagined that bcoz of clerical errors i paid so much and wasted my time for these, no it's not my fault,they said that things like always happened coz people worked in the office keeps changing. So i think this is very important that we need to check all the single details in all our documments to avoid trouble and paying so much…..nice thread Bob…..
Hi Bob, That sounds like something I would do, forget the spelling of the baby's name at the government office. 🙂 When I got my passport my name was spelled wrong on it, but I was in a hurry to take an overseas job, so I did nothing until it became a problem about a year and a half later. The embassy chewed me out good for that one. Plus the pile of papers to fill out was not a pleasant experience.
i'm still mostly "macky". but to a few locals, especially the vendors, i frequent (mercado, hamburger/taco stand, "sari sari" store, carnitas eatery … and i hate to admit it, the local starbucks), i use mariano. much easier to use & it feels authentic.
they already know me & greet me even when i am still yards away.
plus, unlike the other expats who simply change their name to sound local (i.e. David to "dah-vid"), my name's real.
Hello Bob,
After 52 years, my mother learned that her "real," name is Cenderila and her "official birthdate," is 3 days early from her actual birthday 😀 My mother had to jump a lot of hoops to get her visa approved. Phew! I'm glad that's over.
I enjoy this article. Keep up the good writing and topics.
could be Bob. He's a pretty successful guy in Cebu and he even laughs at his legal name.
Hi Wildcat – Oh my, what a hassle! I sure wonder why this is so common here!
Hi Macky – It does sound like you are having a real nice time there!
Hi Leilani – I feel for your mother having to go through all those hoops! Not fun!
Hi Bob,
The problem arises when a person's school records are not the same with the birth certificate. Some people also used their preferred name all their life until they apply for a passport, visa etc., then this problem will be encountered. The Philippines system for record keeping lags behind by at least 30 years to developed countries. Not all filipinos has Social Security numbers and even this number are lost in the bureaucracy. It is very frustrating for people who are in this situation. My question is what were they thinking? A parent allowing their kid to use a different name other than the one in their B.C. Why did they not had it changed when the parents saw the mispelling? But again, people are people.
Suggested solution is good governance like good record keeping and a law that will streamline this very common problem but again there are many struggling lawyers in the Philippines who will do the affidavits and this is one of their easy incomes, sad but true.
Good article though. This is the reason why, I want expats to live in the Philippines so that the good things from their birth countries like good governance in the developed world will somehow rubbed off to the Philippines.
Kyrie Eleison.
Toting
Hi Sir BoB. I met a girl in Makati City who didn't have a first name at all! She showed me her BC and there was no first name recorded? I asked how did that happen and she replied her uncle could not remember her first name so he left it out!! He was going to go back and include it at a later date lol.
Well errors occur in all places and it took nearly 26 years before a bright spark Aussie customs guy discovered that my birth date on my passport was incorrect. I was born on the 28th Feb 1959 but my passport showed 29th Feb 1959. After a delay of 3 hours it was noted that the birth certificate was wrong from the start as there was no leap year in 1959.
You just have to love the govt……lololololol….i2f….John
I wish it was that easy Bob, but then at some point, they will request my father or mother's birth certificate and compare the spellings written in my birth certificate. With all the mispellings and incorrect info, they may conclude that i'm not my parent's daughter! Good topic…very interesting. Thumbs up to you!!!
Hi Toting – Interesting comments. Do you think that if foreigners live in the Philippines, things like good governance would really rub off? For me, I don't think so, because foreigners are forced to keep quiet on things like governance, not allowed to speak out, under threat of deportation.
Ha ha… very funny, Boss. Hey, our birthdays are only about a week apart, I am Feb 20. I'm 3 years younger than you though…. so… you hit the big 50 this year!!!
No doubt! 😉
Hi ann- Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the article.
I happened to be born at home during WW11 ( 1944 ) and my birth was not recorded until 4 yrs later . 🙂 I was not told my biological father's name until i enrolled for college having used my step – fathers last name . Went i enrolled in college i had tons of issues in proving i was in fact the person whose secondary school records i was submitting . 🙂
Hi Alan – Interesting story! That kind of thing, at least to me, is quite uncommon in the west!
wow Bob, the things I learn here ! I had no idea this was such a widespread phenomena. My wife name when she was born was Riza, everyone called her Riza so when she was in high school she lost her birth certificate so she went to city hall in maragusan to have it replaced. when that city went from paper records to computer documents someone typed her birth certificate to say "recela" instead of Riza ! now she would have to get a lawyer to change it and the hassle so she just left it that way, but we call her Riza 🙂
Hi Tommy – This is totally nothing but a guess, based on anecdotal experience, but I would guess that perhaps 25% of Philippine birth certificates are incorrect in some way.
Yes Bob. Most pinoys have their share of horror stories on their birth certificates. The commnents of Ann clearly illustrate why thes things happen. Aside from the all too-common clerical errors, wrong entries, and dropping of certain parts of the name like "de" or "1V", my problem with my birth certificate came to existence when I was baptized catholic. The priest deemed my name unchristian so he added the name of a saint to my name. I went to catholic school from grade school to highschool using that name. When I applied for my passport, I had to secure an affidavit of discrepancy w/c basically tells that the name on my BC and the name I have used in all my school records are basically one & the same. When I was petitioned to the US, I thought americans will also nit pick on this discrepancy. In practice, they don't. They even encash cheques even if the names appearing there are not the legal names. One can apply here for a job even by using nick names.
Hi Roy – Isn't it amazing how on some things the US is very strict, but the Philippines is very lenient. On other things, the Philippines is very strict while the USA is so lenient! It's certainly a huge difference in the two cultures!
My exact thoughts, Bob.
Hey Roy–what saint was it?
The marriage certificates (contracts) are not too fun either, as the authorities could never settle on a date when my Filipina wife and I were married. They tried several dates before they finally decided on one, which was several days later than the actual date. According to the last one we got back, the one that became the official NSO certificate, we had returned from our honeymoon BEFORE we were married! 🙂
Hi Bill – Naughty boy! Going on your honeymoon before you were even married!! And then writing about it!!!
DKD Queenibee! Ok, my name is Roy_ _ _ _ . That name alone did not impress the priest so he added "Paul". I had used that name all my life. But when my petition came, I thought Homeland Security would not honor that name so I secured a passport bearing just my BC name, w/o the Paul. Thanks for the interest Queeniebee. Now, I'm curious…who's the child w/ you on your pic?
Hi Roy, That's my shadow, my sweet niece Maan. She's quiet here for the moment, but usually such a funny clown. She's planning to be the next "queen of comedy"!
Bob bob bob…..this is a much more serious problem then you seam to think and unfortunately it happens a lot. We were faced with one weird problem when fileing my boyfriends visa. For one thing his middle name was wrong on his birth certificate – but right (as it was supposed to be)on all his ID cards. So in his case it was a matter of where he belonged genetically speaking and second his sex was wrong on his birth certificate as well…..how to explain that in the visa papers? LOL
In my mind Philippines administration is just to sloppy with things, you know it takes five people to just find the form in the second drawer of the desk….but none of them is acctually carefull about anything once they have to work with the form.
Note: The last remark was one of ironi and love for the Philippines country and not inteded to offend anyone.
Hi Michael – In my article I was not talking about serious errors like the wrong sex on the birth certificate. I specifically said that if the name was different. Of course I understand that it is quite a serious problem if the wrong sex is listed on the certificate! 😀
The problem comes when the Birth Certificate conflicts with other records such as the baptismal and school records. It can get quite frustrating.Especially if all three are different.
Also there are those who have no birth certificate at all. This isn't so common now but years ago especially in the Visayas many children were born at home and the birth was never registered. Usually they have a baptismal record but sometimes they don't have that either. That is actually easier to fix than incorrect information.
Hi Tom – I hear you. But, for something like a Visa to go abroad, they generally don't ask for a baptismal certificate or even school records. But, certainly what you say bears a lot of truth, no doubt.
Hi Bob,
It will not Rub off directly to the Goverment per se. This is impossible. 🙁
Foreigners will rub it off to your new found filipino friends and Family. A person inately will know that if its is GOOD it is a good thing. Your website for example is pioneering in a sense that it focuses on expats and not only expats read it but pinoys as well. Even just plane comment or discussion make the mind think and speak. Pinoys need this!! Even though foreigners do not have equal rights but there are other ways to voice it out. As U2 band sung "You have to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice!!" There's a will there's a way.
Kyrie Eleison!
Toting
Hi Bob – Funny how this works in the RP. What's even better was that this didn't surface until well over six weeks AFTER we were married. Prior to this, we were actually married on the day we were married. They revoked our original license (contract) and replaced it with the new one. It had something to do with where there was some holiday adjoining with the weekend, or something like that. I don't think the reasoning was ever solid, but I had come to understand how things work and don't work in the RP by that point. Most of the time, one just has to go with the flow of things. Thank heavens it didn't cause any visa problems.
hmmmm my name in my ID is Mariany also in NBI records in philipines was Mariany Then when i check my Birth certificate Its Marianie Juarez Maglinte i have really have a hard time to change all my papers in philipines before. But I did to change all my ID also School records everything was expensive for me cause i pay somebody, only to change all my Identification. but finally i get my passport and apply a German Visa and everything its ok then i am married with German what a life lol i am not kidding, Germany its cold I wanna go back Philippines I wanna visit my mom and dad But my husband dont like me to go back philipines. by the way bob injoy in philipines
Hi Maria – Why does your husband not want you to visit the Philippines?
hello there! i just have a problem,, my nso certificate shows i dont have a middle name but when i get an nbi last year i put a middle name on it since when i start to go to college i use middle name at that time.. my problem now is , when i get a visa , is there a big problem for me on that regarding that matter? please reply me..
Hi mae ann – to be honest, I am really not sure how much problem that may cause for you. I will say, though, that it certainly would not hurt to fix it, though, before any visa application.
yeah, its been 1 year… but what came of your issue? My gf NBI and drivers license has a middle name- but the birth cert doesn’t. She plans to get a passport next week.
My bet is she needs a new NBI and drivers license
Hi Bob
It was the late and great Johhny Cash who sang my name is Sue, how do you do…now thats something i would not want to see on my birth certificate, lol
Ha ha… indeed, that was Johnny!
hello i was wondering something my wife and i are having twins and we have decided to name one of them after my father victor gordon landry so my son would be called victor gordon landry Jr but my wife keeps say that her maiden name has to be include in the name but i can find any law saying that. is this the law or something else. if it the law then why not let the goverment decide your childrens full name. it seem that the only true name you get to pick it the first name. i have many reasons why i would not want my kids middle names the same as my wife maiden name one security it used as security question for almost everything from bank to just your email. please help me as i really dont want to have to take my wife to the states just so she can give birth and come back
Yeah, I agree Steven. I don’t know if there is a law or not. My kids were all US born, so we named them what we wanted to.
what if my mother’s real name which appears to her birth certificate is wrong in my birth certificate. please help what to do…
I suppose you would need to go to court and petition to have you birth certificate corrected.