Door of Opportunity Opens in Caloocan for Residents Without Birth Certificates

In the Philippines, a birth certificate is not simply a piece of paper. It is the key that unlocks a child's right to go to school, a parent's access to government services, and a family's first foothold out of generational poverty. For thousands of Filipinos in Caloocan who have never had one, that key has long been out of reach.

On Monday, April 27, 2026, representatives from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally turned over financial assistance to Caritas Kalookan, a Catholic humanitarian organization serving the Diocese of Caloocan,  to support ongoing programs for undocumented Filipinos and other marginalized communities. More than 100 beneficiaries from underserved neighborhoods in Caloocan are expected to be reached through the donation.

Reaching the unseen

Abenir Pajaro, Area Director for Welfare and Self-Reliance Services, spoke at the turnover ceremony about the particular vulnerability of Filipinos who lack legal documentation. The problem, he explained, is not new and not simple. Many families have lived without birth records across multiple generations,  a reality that compounds over time and quietly shuts people out of society's basic structures.

"Many of our fellow Filipinos remain unregistered, often because their families, for generations, have lived in poverty and were unable to recognize the importance of documentation."  - Abenir Pajaro

Pajaro also pointed out the source of the funds being donated; not from institutional reserves, but from the personal sacrifices of Church members around the world. Fast offerings, set aside by members who fast regularly, and humanitarian donations from those with greater means, make up the pool from which the Church draws for efforts like this one.

"These donations represent sacrifice," Pajaro said. "They come from members, many of whom are also among the poor, who choose to help others despite their own circumstances." - Abenir Pajaro

A partnership rooted in conversation

The project did not begin with a proposal or a formal memorandum of agreement. It began with a conversation. Haidi Fajardo, Area Director for the Communication and Publishing Department, traced the origins of the initiative to a prior meeting between Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David and Elder Patrick Kearon, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during which the specific needs of the Diocese of Caloocan came up.

Among the needs identified: helping unregistered individuals obtain late registration of birth certificates so that their children could enroll in public schools. The lack of documentation, Fajardo noted, is not only a bureaucratic problem. It is a barrier that keeps children out of classrooms and families out of the systems designed to support them.

"Even with different beliefs and traditions, we are united as children of God, and we are called to help one another." - Haidi Fajaro

What Caritas Kalookan does with support like this

Sister Maria May Cano, OP, Executive Secretary of Caritas Kalookan, received the donation on behalf of the organization and offered a picture of the work it will sustain. Caritas Kalookan runs programs that serve some of the most difficult-to-reach populations in the city: families affected by extrajudicial killings, urban poor communities, and Filipinos with no documentation and no legal standing.

Among its programs are educational assistance initiatives that provide monthly allowances for students from affected families, and livelihood projects including candle-making cooperatives designed to create sustainable household income. Sister Cano shared plans to expand these livelihood efforts further, ensuring that assistance extends beyond immediate relief.

"May we continue our partnership as we respond to the least, the last, and the lost." - Sister Maria May Cano

The partnership between the two organizations reflects something that has become increasingly common in the Philippines: faith communities across denominational lines working together on problems too large for any single institution to solve. The donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not framed as charity from one tradition to another, but as neighbors choosing to act, together, on behalf of people who have too often been left behind.