Tan Su filed in the  Court  of First  Instance of  Cebu a petition  praying that the Civil Register  of Cebu City be ordered to correct the citizenship of his minor daughter Rosa Tan from Chinese to Filipino in the Civil Registry. In spite of  the  opposition of  the fiscal, the trial  court, after hearing,  rendered decision  ordering the Civil Registrar to change not only the citizenship  of  Rosa Tan but also that  of her  father  and her  mother  in  the  Civil Registry from Chinese to Filipino.  The fiscal in due time interposed the present appeal.

The purpose of the  petition of Tan  Su is to  correct the  citizenship of his  daughter  Rosa  Tan that  appears in the Civil Registry of Cebu from Chinese to  Filipino contending  that,  in  making said entry,  the midwife of Rosa when she was born gave  wrongly the information that  she  was a  Chinese  citizen.  The Government opposed  the  petition on  the ground  that the  error  to be corrected is not merely clerical  but one that affects the status or  nationality of Rosa Tan, as  well  as  of her father and mother, and hence it cannot be threshed out by a mere  petition but  in an  appropriate action.

There is merit in  this  opposition.  In the case of Ty Kong  Tin vs.  Republic  of the Philippines, 50  Off.  Gaz., No. 3, p.  1077,  the  facts of which are similar to those involved in the instant case, this Court said:

"It is our  opinion that  the petition  under consideration does not merely call for a correction of a clerical error. It involves a matter which concerns the  citizenship not  only of petitioner but of children.  It is therefore an  important  controversial  matter which can and should only be threshed out in an appropriate action. The philosophy behind this requirement lies in the  fact  that the books  making up the civil  register  and  all  documents  relating thereto  shall  be considered public documents  and shall be prima facie evidence of  the  facts  therein  contained' (Article  410, new Civil Code), and  if the entries in the civil register could be corrected or changed through a mere summary  proceeding, and not through  an  appropriate  action wherein  all parties who may be affected  by the entries are notified  or  represented  we would  set wide open the  door to fraud  or  other  mischief  the  consequence of which might be detrimental and far reaching.  It is for these reasons that the law has placed the necessary safeguards to forestall such eventuality that even on matters which call for a correction  of  clerical  mistakes  the  intervention  of  the  courts was found  necessary.   This  is  an  innovation not  originally  found in the  law  which  placed this  matter  exclusively  upon  the  sound judgment and discretion of the  civil registrars.   This  was  found by  Congress  unwise and  risky in view  of the far reaching importance of the subjects  covered  by the civil register.   And  under the  present  innovation the law  even exacts  civil  liability from the  civil  registrar  for  any unauthorized alteration, which shows the concern of Congress in  maintaining the  integrity  and genuiness of the entries contained in our civil registers.  (Article 411, New Civil Code)."  (Italics  ours.)

This  Court has also  had occasion to  point out  for the guidance of the  public what clerical  errors may  be corrected  under Article  4-12  of  the new Civil Code.  Thus, in  the  case  of Ansaldo vs.  Republic  of the  Philippines, 102 Phil., 1046, this  Court,  through  Mr. Justice  Montemayor,  made the following comment:

"For  the  information of  the  parties concerned, and for the guidance of the  public in general, we may  venture  the opinion that the  clerical  errors which  might  be  corrected  through judicial sanction under Article  412 of the New Civil Code, would be those harmless  and  innocuous  changes,  such  as,  correction  of a  name that is nearly misspelled,  occupation of the parents, etc., but for changes  involving the civil status of the parents,  their nationality or citizenship, those are grave and important matters which may have a bearing and effect on  the citizenship  and nationality not only  of  said  parents, but of the offsprings  and  to seek said changes,  it is necessary to  file  a  proper  suit wherein  not only the  State, but  also  all parties concerned  and affected should  be parties defendants or respondents,  and evidence  should  be submitted,  either  to  support the  allegations  of the petition  or complaint,  or also  to  disapprove the  same so that  any order  or decision in the case may be made with due process of law and  on the basis of facts  proven.  Then and only  then may the change  or changes be made in the entry in a civil  register that will  affect or even  determine conclusively the  citizenship  or  nationality  of a  person therein  involved."

Wherefore, the decision appealed from is reversed, with costs against appellee.

Paras, C. J., Bengzon, Padilla, Montemayor, Reyes, A., Labrador, Concepcion, and Endencia, JJ.,  concur.