By Brian Jules Campued
Several members of the House of Representatives call for an inquiry into the recent discovery of nearly 200 fake birth certificates, mostly issued to Chinese nationals by the local civil registry in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the House’s “Young Guns” reacted to the report of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding “a mill churning out fake birth certificates” after it arrested an individual applying for a passport using a falsified document.
Davao Oriental Rep. Cheeno Almario stressed the need to strengthen the country’s legislative framework “to ensure rigorous verification processes are in place” in issuing birth certificates.
“This includes enhancing the capabilities of local civil registries, implementing more robust checks and balances, and imposing severe penalties on those found guilty of facilitating such fraud,” Almario stated.
Echoing Almario’s statement, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong said the House should investigate whether the Chinese nationals had a backer that emboldened them “to make a mockery of the sanctity” of the Philippine-issued birth certificate.
Assistant Majority Leader Paolo Ortega said that Chinese nationals using falsified documents pose a dire threat to the country’s national security.
“These individuals could potentially exploit their newfound status to engage in activities detrimental to our country, including espionage, economic sabotage, and other criminal enterprises. The ramifications of such actions are far-reaching and could compromise our national defense, economy, and public safety,” Ortega said.
Meanwhile, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that he had already requested the NBI for the names and other details associated with the 200 fake documents.
He said the BI has also sought information from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regarding all Filipinos who availed of the late registration scheme and were subsequently issued birth certificates.
According to the Immigration chief, the data will be cross-checked to verify if these individuals were issued or have used Philippine passports.
“We must be proactive and thorough in our approach to prevent the misuse of Philippine documents by foreign nationals,” Tansingco emphasized.
“This is an issue of national security, and needs to be addressed immediately,” Tansingco said in a statement Monday. – av