(Philippine legal and administrative guide for typographical “run-together” names such as “JANEDOE,” “MARIAANA,” “DELA CRUZ,” “JUANPABLO,” or missing/merged spaces and letters.)

1) What “merged letters” typically means in Philippine records

In Philippine practice, “merged letters” in a name usually refers to any of the following:

Missing space(s): JUAN DELA CRUZ recorded as JUANDELACRUZ or JUAN DELACRUZ
Run-together given names: MARIA ANA recorded as MARIAANA
Merged middle name and surname: SANTOS REYES recorded as SANTOSREYES
Duplicated/omitted letters during encoding: MICHELLE recorded as MICHELE or MICHELL E/MICHELLE inconsistently
Punctuation issues: hyphen or apostrophe missing (less common in civil registry, but appears in school/employment records)

In many cases, these are treated as clerical or typographical errors—but whether you can fix them administratively (fastest route) depends on where the error appears and what the “correct” name is under your civil registry record.

2) Start with the “source of truth”: your civil registry record

For most identity corrections in the Philippines, the key document is your:

Birth Certificate (BC) registered with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) and issued/archived by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

If your birth certificate name is correct, then errors on other IDs are usually corrected by the issuing agency by presenting your PSA birth certificate. If your birth certificate itself contains the merged letters, you typically need to correct it first (or in parallel), because most agencies will not override the civil registry record.

Rule of thumb:

If the mistake is on the birth certificate → fix at LCR/PSA level
If the birth certificate is correct but an ID is wrong → fix with the ID-issuing agency using the birth certificate

3) The two main legal pathways for correcting names in the Philippines

Philippine law has two main mechanisms for correcting entries in the civil registry:

A) Administrative correction (no court) — RA 9048 (as amended by RA 10172)

This is used for clerical/typographical errors and certain day/month birthdate or sex corrections (sex/birthdate coverage is from the amendment). For names, the key concept is:

Clerical or typographical error: harmless mistake visible on its face—misspelling, wrong letter, missing space, transposed letters—where the intent is clear and the correction does not involve changing identity.

Merged letters commonly qualify when they are clearly typographical (e.g., missing space; a letter stuck to another during encoding; obvious misspelling).

Where you file: Usually with the LCR where the birth was registered. If you live elsewhere, many corrections can be filed at the LCR where you currently reside (subject to rules and endorsements). If abroad, Philippine consular channels may be involved for receiving petitions.

Result: An annotated record—your PSA birth certificate later reflects the correction via annotation once processed and endorsed.

B) Judicial correction — Rule 108 (court proceeding)

If the correction is substantial (not merely clerical), the usual route is a court petition under Rule 108 of the Rules of Court for cancellation/correction of entries.

This may be needed when the requested “correction”:

effectively changes identity (e.g., completely different given name),
is heavily disputed,
requires evidence beyond a simple typo fix,
or does not fit administrative categories.

For merged-letter problems, Rule 108 becomes relevant if the agency/LCR treats the issue as more than a simple typographical error—especially when the “correct” version is not obvious from existing records.

Where you file: Regional Trial Court (RTC) with jurisdiction over the civil registry concerned (practice varies depending on facts and venue rules).

Key feature: Rule 108 typically involves notice/publication and hearing.

4) How to tell which route applies to “merged letters”

Use this decision guide:

Usually administrative (RA 9048) if:

The only issue is a spacing/merging or minor misspelling
Supporting records consistently show the intended name (e.g., baptismal certificate, school records, government IDs, medical/hospital records)
The correction does not change who the person is—just fixes how the name is written

Examples often treated as clerical:

DELA CRUZ vs DE LA CRUZ
MARIAANA vs MARIA ANA
JUANPABLO vs JUAN PABLO
ANN vs ANNE may be treated as clerical depending on evidence and LCR practice

Court (Rule 108) may be required if:

You are effectively adopting a different name, not merely separating letters/spaces
The “correct” name is not consistently shown in older records
The requested correction affects filiation/legitimacy/parentage-related entries (more sensitive)
The registrar requires judicial authority because the correction is not “obvious”

5) Practical reality: agency discretion and local practice

Even when a merged-letter error looks clerical, LCRs and agencies can differ in how strict they are. Two people with the same problem can receive different initial advice depending on:

how the entry is encoded,
what documents exist,
how consistent the person’s records are,
and how the LCR interprets “clerical.”

A strong filing usually anticipates this by presenting multiple supporting documents showing consistent use of the correct spacing/spelling.

6) Step-by-step: correcting merged letters on a PSA birth certificate (common scenario)

Step 1 — Obtain reference copies and compare

Get:

PSA Birth Certificate (latest copy)
If available, Local Civil Registry (LCR) certified true copy (sometimes reveals handwritten/typed original entries that explain the error)

Compare the name entries:

Given name
Middle name
Surname
Also check parents’ names—sometimes the merged letters are in the parent’s name and later cascade into your records.

Step 2 — Build your “name consistency” evidence file

Common supporting documents include:

Baptismal certificate (if any)
School records (Form 137 / permanent record, diploma)
Medical/hospital records around birth (if obtainable)
Government IDs (SSS/UMID, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, PRC, driver’s license, postal, voter’s certificate where applicable)
Employment records, NBI clearance, etc.
Marriage certificate (if married) and children’s birth certificates (if relevant)

The goal: show that the merged-letter version is an outlier.

Step 3 — File the correct petition type with the LCR

For clerical errors, file a Petition for Correction of Clerical or Typographical Error covering the specific entry (e.g., “Given name: ‘MARIAANA’ to be corrected to ‘MARIA ANA’”).

You will typically submit:

Petition form (LCR-provided)
PSA copy and/or LCR copy of the birth certificate
Supporting documents
Valid IDs
Affidavits (often required):
- Affidavit of Discrepancy explaining the error and the correct form
- Sometimes affidavits from disinterested persons who have known you (practice varies)

Step 4 — Comply with posting/publication requirements if required

Administrative corrections often require some form of notice (posting) under civil registry rules/practice. Requirements vary by LCR.

Step 5 — Track endorsements and PSA annotation

After approval, the correction must be endorsed for PSA annotation. Once annotated, request a new PSA birth certificate showing the annotation.

Important: The annotation does not always “rewrite” the main text; sometimes it appears as an annotation note indicating the corrected entry.

7) Correcting merged letters on passports and IDs when the birth certificate is correct

Passport

If your PSA birth certificate is correct but your passport shows merged letters (or wrong spacing), the Department of Foreign Affairs typically requires:

PSA birth certificate showing correct name
Supporting IDs/documents consistent with the correct name
Passport amendment/correction process (varies by circumstance)

Best practice: Align first with PSA birth certificate; then correct passport; then update downstream IDs.

SSS / PhilHealth / Pag-IBIG / BIR / driver’s license / PRC

Most agencies have an internal “correction of personal data” process. Common requirements:

PSA birth certificate
Marriage certificate (if applicable)
Affidavit of discrepancy
Valid IDs and forms

Practical sequencing:

Fix birth certificate (if needed)
Fix passport (high-impact ID for travel/banking)
Fix primary government registries (SSS/PhilHealth/Pag-IBIG/BIR)
Fix professional/school records, then banks/employers

8) Special cases that frequently arise with “merged letters”

A) “Dela Cruz,” “Delos Santos,” “De la Peña,” and spacing conventions

Philippine naming conventions include surnames with particles like de, dela, delos, de la. Different records may treat them as:

one word (Delacruz)
two words (Dela Cruz)
three words (De la Cruz)

Civil registry entries often standardize based on what was registered. If the civil registry record is stable and you merely need other agencies to match it, you typically correct the agency record—not the birth certificate.

B) Multiple given names (“Maria Ana,” “Juan Pablo”) and merged forms

When a two-part given name is merged (MariaAna), registrars often treat it as clerical if:

early documents show the intended spacing, and
there is no attempt to replace the given name entirely.

C) Middle name errors vs surname errors

A merged middle name can create bigger problems in systems that separately validate middle name and surname. Still, if it’s a spacing/typing issue, it’s often clerical—just ensure supporting records consistently show the correct segmentation.

D) If the error is in a parent’s name on your birth certificate

Fixing a parent’s name entry can also be done administratively if clerical, but sometimes LCRs treat parent-name issues more cautiously. Evidence and the nature of the correction matter.

9) Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall 1: Trying to “fix everything” without fixing the root record

If the birth certificate is wrong, correcting only IDs often results in repeated rejections later.

Pitfall 2: Inconsistent supporting documents

If half your documents show merged letters and half show spaced letters, your case becomes harder. Consider:

obtaining older foundational records (school permanent records, baptismal)
standardizing going forward after one successful correction

Pitfall 3: Confusing “correction” with “change of name”

Administrative clerical correction is not meant to let someone adopt a new preferred name. If your request looks like you are choosing a different name, expect Rule 108 scrutiny.

Pitfall 4: Banking/KYC mismatches

Banks and remittance platforms may freeze or delay transactions when the name does not match passport/PSA. Prioritize the documents used for KYC:

PSA → Passport → primary government registries → banks

10) Evidence strategy: what makes a strong “merged letters” petition

A persuasive petition package typically shows:

The error is mechanical (missing space/letter)
The intended name is consistent across multiple records
There is no identity switch (same person, same parents, same birth details)
The correction is minimal (split/spacing or minor spelling)

If you can show records close to the time of birth (hospital record, baptismal, early school records), that often strengthens the narrative that the merged form was an encoding error.

11) What happens after correction: updating and maintaining consistency

After PSA annotation

Once the PSA record is annotated/corrected:

Use the annotated PSA copy as your primary supporting document.
Update other agencies one by one. Keep a folder (physical + digital) containing:
- old documents showing the error,
- the approval/annotation,
- and the new corrected documents.

Maintain one “official style”

Pick the exact spelling and spacing that matches the civil registry record and use it consistently in:

signatures (where possible),
employment records,
bank accounts,
government forms.

12) When to seek legal help

For merged-letter issues, many people succeed without court. But consider professional help if:

the LCR insists the change is not clerical,
your records are inconsistent and you need a structured evidence approach,
the correction has knock-on effects (marriage, children’s records, inheritance),
or you are being required to pursue Rule 108.

13) Quick checklist for a typical merged-letter correction (birth certificate)

PSA Birth Certificate (latest)
LCR certified true copy (if available)
2–5 supporting documents showing correct spacing/spelling
Valid IDs
Affidavit of discrepancy (and other affidavits if required)
LCR petition form + fees
Follow-through until PSA annotation appears on a newly issued PSA copy

14) Key takeaway

“Merged letters” in a name are often treated as clerical/typographical errors in Philippine practice—especially when the fix is simply restoring spacing or correcting an obvious encoding mistake. The decisive factor is whether the correction is minor and identity-neutral (often administrative) or substantial/identity-affecting (often judicial).

If you tell me which document has the merged letters (PSA birth certificate, passport, SSS, etc.) and an example of the incorrect vs correct format, I can lay out the most likely pathway and a clean document sequence for updating everything with minimal back-and-forth.