Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the Philippine Statistics Authority to investigate its officers reportedly involved in issuing fraudulent civil registry documents.
During plenary debates on the 2025 budget of the National Economic and Development Authority, Hontiveros asked PSA officials if they conducted an audit or internal investigation to determine those behind the alleged late registration scheme that many foreigners take advantage of to get fake birth certificates.
The PSA reported it blocked 1,627 birth certificates of foreign nationals after its investigation showed the documents were spurious.
The PSA shared the names of the foreign nationals with the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Hontiveros said the alarming proliferation of fake or spurious birth certificates have allowed some foreign nationals to obtain government identification and evade immigration laws.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian recently revealed the processing cost for fake birth certificates and other government IDs was around P300,000.
He said the proliferation of fake birth certificates allowed unscrupulous individuals, including foreign nationals, to secure government-issued identification, evade immigration laws, and perpetrate crimes.
“Syndicates may be behind the proliferation of fake birth certificates as well as the apparent abuse of the late birth registration system,” he said.
During the Senate deliberations on the PSA’s 2024 budget, it was disclosed that at least 308 fake birth certificates were used for Philippine passport applications from January to September of the previous year. Six of these birth certificates belonged to foreign nationals who were issued Philippine passports.
The Immigration Bureau also expressed concern over incidents involving overstaying foreigners who misrepresent themselves to obtain Philippine documents and evade immigration inspection.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Hontiveros wants to penalize PSA officers over fake birth certificates.”
