Full Name & Date Of Birth

[Americano]

Why is it that many Filipinos don't know their Full Name and Date of Birth?

I have talked to several Filipinos over the last few years who know their Nickname but do not know their name which is on their Birth Certificate. Also, some know their age but can't tell you which year they were born in. Why is this? Their name on their NSO Birth Certificate is their official name so why don't most Filipinos know their official name?

In the month on May I asked 4 Filipinos, 3 females and 1 male between the age of 16 and 21 to write their full name and date of birth. Only one female was able to write her full name and date of birth correctly the first time. The 21 year old male was not able to write his name correctly even after 3 attempts and him having a copy of his Birth Certificate. All 4 have copies of their Birth Certificates but 3 of them don't know their name. One even thinks she was born in 9996. Is this low intelligence or lack of proper teaching in the schools? How can anyone who has gone to school not know their name and date of birth? This is almost beyond belief.

If anyone does not believe me then try asking young people in your area to write their full name which is on their Birth Certificate and their date of birth which is also on their Birth Certificate. You should ask them when they are alone because they will start asking the question to other people for the answer which they won't know either but will only confuse the issue and delay the answer. And, to know if they answered correctly you will need to see their Birth Certificate. So far I have found one who could answer both questions correctly after my wife asked them the questions.

 

[Call me bubba]

great topic , i too wonder what is the mental function of some of the people here

 

(expats included =  http://www.philippines-expats.com/topic/16189-obnoxious-americans/

 

 

 

 just curious,, did any of them have a "facebook"account?

what is the level of education these people have?

public?private? under 6yrs? hs grad? drop out? so many factors that could be the cause of this.

could you find out the educational background of these people?

 

 could they be suffering from iodine deficiency ?

[JJReyes]

I can't remember my baptismal name, which is supposedly your official name. The tradition then was to include the first name of every uncle, grandfather, great grandfather plus a few others. I believe my certificate has eight first names.

 

A more interesting question is how many Filipinos have a female name. The most common is to start a male's formal name with "Maria" or something like that. Also, how many Filipinas are "Teresa" although nearly all are actually "Maria Teresa." Filipino families also love to name their children after historical figures like "Socrates" or "Aristotle" and even, "Adolph Hitler." (I kid you not. The guy was featured on CNN.) The whole thing is actually irrevelent because all your life relatives, friends and business associates will know you by dual names like "Gee-Gee, Bong-Bong, Gaa-Gaa, and heaven forbid, Jay-Jay." Most uncommon name was a person I met named, "Sincere." Another unusual nickname is, "Baby." The guy was 65 years old and balding (excuse me, I Am Bob). He was the youngest child of his generation.

 

Someone should start a topic about unusual Philippine nicknames.

[jpbago]

 just curious,, did any of them have a "facebook"account?

 

They all have 1 or 2 facebook accounts under different names and know how to use them. But they don't know what their real name is. Might be Mok-Mok, Jun-Jun, Jen-Jen, Boy-Boy, Tata, Bon-Bon, etc

[i am bob]

Another unusual nickname is, "Baby." The guy was 65 years old and balding (excuse me, I Am Bob).

 

That's ok...  I'm 55, shaved head and the women all call me "Baby" as they run their hands... 

 

:mocking: 

[Americano]

JJ you are confusing official names which is on a NSO Birth Certificate with Nick Names. Anyone can give you a Nick Name in the Philippines and you can even make one up yourself. I know some Filipinos who have more than one Nick Name, but everyone only has one official name which is on their NSO Birth Certificate. The name on your NSO Birth Certificate should match the name given on your Baptismal Certificate, if it doesn't then someone lied or was illiterate.

 

When a Filipino gets a Passport it will have the same name on it as the NSO Birth Certificate. When applying for a Passport Nick Names mean absolutely nothing.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Americano

[JJReyes]

JJ you are confusing official names which is on a NSO Birth Certificate with Nick Names. Anyone can give you a Nick Name in the Philippines and you can even make one up yourself. I know some Filipinos who have more than one Nick Name, but everyone only has one official name which is on their NSO Birth Certificate. The name on your NSO Birth Certificate should match the name given on your Baptismal Certificate, if it doesn't then someone lied or was illiterate. When a Filipino gets a Passport it will have the same name on it as the NSO Birth Certificate. When applying for a Passport Nick Names mean absolutely nothing.

 

Most of the Philippine birth certificates and other official records were destroyed by fires during the American liberation of Manila. The baptismal certificates issued by the parish church were used as a substitute. Although I am a post-WWII baby, my government birth certificate was likewise destroyed by fire. Oh No! Maybe I was born in Kenya like Barack Hussein Obama!

 

During my application for US citizenship, the immigration officer asked if I wanted to change my name. The name change is free. I declined, although many take the offer as a way to make their names easier to spell and pronounce.   

 

Some Filipinos have nicknames that don't correlate with their formal or real name. My assumption was "Tommy" was a friend whose real name is "Thomas." It turned out to be "Fortunato," but no one in the group really cares. The guy hates his given name.

 

There are instances in American politics wherein presidents wanted to be known by their nicknames. "Bill" rather than "William Jefferson Clinton" and "Jimmy" rather than James Earl Carter, Jr. Anyone know if they were legally permitted to sign official documents using their nicknames?

[Americano]

"There are instances in American politics wherein presidents wanted to be known by their nicknames. "Bill" rather than "William Jefferson Clinton" and "Jimmy" rather than James Earl Carter, Jr. Anyone know if they were legally permitted to sign official documents using their nicknames?"  I don't know if they signed any documents using their nicknames but that is an interesting question.

 

What I find interesting or amusing is Filipinos who have American sounding names but are not spelled the same as in America and names spelled the same in America but pronounced different or two words pronounced together.

 

Here are some examples:

 

My wife's sister says her name is Michelle but it is spelled Misshell. Her husband who is an American sometimes calls her Miss Hell.

 

A relative who is living with us right now says her name is Michelle but it is spell Michel, which looks like Michael without the a.

 

A cousin we visited last month said her name is Annjaniece but when I asked her to write it she wrote Ann Janice which is two names.

 

When I got married to a Filipina in the USA in 2007 the judge said do you Mary take Phillip to be your lawful wedded husband. My fiancee got upset and said that's not my name and the judge said its your first name on the Birth Certificate and continued to call her Mary. She wanted to be called by her second name which is Grace but didn't tell the judge before the wedding started. Most people in the Philippines say Marygrace just like its one word which it is not.

[JJReyes]

Changes in spelling probably comes from a desire to be unique. Mary or Maria is a common first or second name in the Philippines for both male and female. A Jose Maria becomes Jomari and a Maria Teresa becomes Maritese. Names and name changes could be a thesis for someone studying psychology.

[Markham]

There are instances in American politics wherein presidents wanted to be known by their nicknames. "Bill" rather than "William Jefferson Clinton" and "Jimmy" rather than James Earl Carter, Jr.

In Britain, however, "Bill" and "Jimmy" are considered to be contractions rather than nicknames and there, contractions can be every bit as legal as the full name; a letter signed by William Thomas would be just as legal if he signed as Bill Thomas. A nickname would be word that is, for example, descriptive of the person's trade or profession or their origin - Jimmy "The Fish" would be the local fishmonger and "Taffy" Jones would be a Welshman.