My fifteen (15) years of being a public servant as Clerk III assigned at Health Center brings me to the better understanding of the plight of the poor. Because one of my many duties is to prepare birth and death certificates, I have to deal with poor clients who can hardly fill up the information needed. Since an erroneous entry on birth and death certificates will require considerable amount of money to be corrected, poor clients can’t do nothing but wait until they accumulate enough money to pay for correction. And when they do, they will use this hard-earned money for corrections which could have been avoided.

An erroneous entry in important documents prevents one to enter school, get employed, claim benefits, etc. It will be a waste of time and money to apply for correction.

It is best that workplaces like ours which prepare death and birth certificate, departments like Municipal Civil Registry which issues marriage, death and birth certificate, Office of the Registrar which prepares and issues Transcript of Records, and all other offices topay extra attention on details when preparing vital documents. Help client, especially those with little education, to fill up significant information. It starts with typing the information and checking them twice. Give the clients enough time to proofread the information they give before the final document for issuance or release is printed.

By: MARIA VANNESSA B. OCONER