Ecija civil registry clerk probed for boy's fake live birth certificate

GAPAN CITY, Nueva Ecija , Philippines  – An employee of the city’s civil registrar office here is in hot water after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan placed her under investigation yesterday for allegedly falsifying the certificate of live birth of an eight-year-old boy and for reportedly failing to account for the missing marriage contract of his parents.

The SP, presided over by Vice Mayor Rodel Matias, has opened its probe on Jocelyn Dimacale, clerk of the office of the city civil registrar following a complaint-affidavit lodged before the council by Desiree Bonifacio of Barangay San Nicolas here. She was accompanied by her counsel, lawyer Tyrone Contado. 

Bonifacio is the mother of Davis Mandy Afable. Afable was born on May 28, 2002 to Bonifacio and Afable, an American citizen.

Exactly a month later, the elder Afable and Bonifacio got married.

Bonifacio said in the process, Davis Mandy was “legitimated through subsequent marriage,” as borne by the couple’s application for marriage license and the certificate of live birth.

The couple’s relationship, however, turned sour and they later separated.

Bonifacio said sometime last year, she went to the National Statistics Office to request a copy of their authenticated marriage contract and Davis Mandy’s certificate of live birth. She said to her surprise, the copy of the marriage contract could not be found and the certificate of her son’s live birth was forged through false entries.

Attached in her certificate of affidavit was a copy of the certificate of live birth of Davis Mandy wherein the boy’s middle name and surname Afable were erased.

The same document, however, clearly indicated that Davis Mandy was “legitimated” through the subsequent marriage of his parents on June 28, 2002. Because of the forged certificate of live birth, Bonifacio said it would appear that Davis Mandy was an illegitimate child.

In her complaint-affidavit, she also attached a copy of certificate of live birth signed by city civil registrar Danilo Tan and Dimacale dated July 5, 2002 showing that she and Afable got married. But in another certificate of live birth dated Jan. 21, 2011 also signed by Tan and Clerk 2 Arthur Merle, there were no entries opposite the lines “date and place of marriage of parents,” indicating they were never married at all.

Bonifacio said because of this anomaly, Davis Mandy was deprived of benefits due him as a legitimate child. She also complained that her ex-husband Manuel Afable was able to get married to another woman even if their marriage still exists and when there was no legal separation.

She said the disappearance of her marriage contract and the forged certificate of live birth could not have been carried out if Afable did not conspire with officials of the city civil registrar’s office.