Jurat for Joint Affiants

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me, this _____________, by _____________ who exhibited to me (his/her) Community Tax Certificate No. _____________ issued at _____________ on _____________ and by _____________ who exhibited to me (his/her) Community Tax Certificate No. _____________ issued at _____________ on _____________.

Notary Public
Doc. No. ______;
Page No. ______;
Book No. ______;
Series of ______;

A jurat as sketched in jurisprudence lays emphasis on the paramount requirements of the physical presence of the affiant as well as his act of signing the document before the notary public. The respondent indeed transgressed Section 2(b) of Rule IV of the Notarial Rules by affixing her official signature and seal on the notarial certificate of the affidavit contained in the Application for Certification of Alienable and Disposable Land in the absence of the complainant and for failing to ascertain the identity of the affiant. The thrust of the said provision reads:

SEC. 2. Prohibitions.

x x x x

(b) A person shall not perform a notarial act if the person involved as signatory to the instrument or document-

(1) is not in the notary’s presence personally at the time of the notarization; and

(2) is not personally known to the notary public or otherwise identified by the notary through competent evidence of identity as defined by these Rules.