Short answer. An officer's attested copy plus a certificate. Section 24 of Rule 132 allows a public record to be proved by an official publication or an attested copy from the officer with legal custody, and when kept abroad, that copy must carry a certificate — from a Philippine consular or foreign-service officer where no treaty applies — confirming custody.
What the law says
may be evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy attested by the officer having the legal custody of the record, or by his or her deputy, and accompanied, if the record is not kept in the Philippines, with a certificate that such officer has the custody
Rule 132, Section 24 — Proof of official record. Read the full provision →
Why records kept abroad need extra proof
Ordinarily, an official Philippine record can be proved through an attested copy from the officer who has legal custody of it. When the record is instead kept outside the country, the court has no easy way to confirm that the person who signed the attestation actually has the authority and custody they claim, which is why Section 24 requires an additional layer: a certificate confirming custody, on top of the attested copy itself.
Two different paths depending on the country
If the foreign office keeping the record sits in a country that is a party to a treaty or convention with the Philippines covering this, the certificate follows whatever form that treaty or convention prescribes, subject to reciprocity for Philippine public documents abroad. Where no such treaty applies, the certificate instead has to come from a secretary of the embassy or legation, a consul general, consul, vice-consul, consular agent, or another Philippine foreign-service officer stationed in that country, authenticated by the seal of that office.
What the certificate actually accomplishes
Once the document is accompanied by a certificate or its equivalent, it may be presented in evidence without further proof, because the certificate itself is treated as prima facie evidence of the due execution and genuineness of the document involved. That is what makes this route practical — without it, a party would effectively need to bring the actual foreign custodian into a Philippine court to establish the same thing.
When the certificate can be skipped
The rule also anticipates that some treaties simplify things further: the certificate shall not be required when a treaty or convention between a foreign country and the Philippines has abolished the requirement or has exempted the document itself from this formality. Whether that applies in a given case depends on the specific treaty covering the country where the record is kept, which is worth checking before assuming the full certification process is necessary.
Related provisions
- Rule 132, Section 24 — Proof of official record
- Rule 132, Section 23 — Public documents as evidence
- Rule 132, Section 25 — What attestation of copy must state