Senators urge NICA, NSC to probe how foreigners were issued legit govt IDs, documents

Senators on Monday urged the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Security Council (NSC) to look into how official government IDs and documents were allegedly issued to foreigners, citing this may compromise the country’s national security.

The call was made during the Senate plenary deliberations on NSA’s P829.889 million and NICA’s  P1.932 billion proposed budgets for 2024.

“We would like also your assistance, gentlemen and ladies of NICA and NSC to look into this... I saw this newspaper article because we raised this last week, ‘yung mga… totoong passport, totoong national IDs, totoong Philippine licenses and issued licenses but of course foreign nationals ang nakakatanggap (real passports, real national IDs, real Philippine license and issued licenses have been issued to foreign nationals),” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

“We would like to look into this together with the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation). The NBI is investigating this. But there are national security implications to this, gentlemen and ladies, kasi we were shown how easy it is for foreigners to be able to get birth certificates, official PSA documents and therefore, being able to get real passports as well as real driver’s licenses and national IDs. So, we have to look into that gentlemen and ladies because I think there’s security concerns on that,” he added.

Senate finance committee chairman Sonny Angara, who defended the proposed budgets of the two agencies, said the NICA and the NSA are “in complete agreement” with Zubiri.

Last week, the Senate recalled the plenary approval of the proposed 2024 budget of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) over the alleged issuance of authentic birth certificates to foreign nationals which enabled them to get Philippine passports.

This, after Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa raised the Department of Justice’s information regarding 10 foreigners who were intercepted by tauthorities after presenting legitimate Philippine passports.

Senator Risa Hontiveros echoed Zubiri’s call and cited discoveries by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality during its investigation of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub that was raided in Pasay City last Friday.

“Doon din po lumabas ‘yung sinabi ni SP na apparently foreign nationals, in particular in that case, Chinese POGO employees ay nakakakuha either ng mga totoong IDs, halimbawa, sa BIR o mula sa PhilHealth but through fraudulent means, not going through the procedures na dinadaanan natin lahat when we apply for each of these government-issued IDs, or di kaya nakakakuha ng mga pekeng ganoong ID,” she said.

(This is in relation to what the Senate President said that apparently foreign nationals, particularly in this case, Chinese POGO employees, have access to official IDS from the BIR or PhilHealth for example, through fraudulent means, without going through standard procedures we Filipinos go through when we apply for each of these government-issued IDs, or also obtaining fake versions of government IDs.)   

 “Nakakakuha na rin, nakakabili di umano ng birth certificates at yun po ang pinakamahalagang ginagamit nila para di umano makakuha ng Philippine passports,” Hontiveros added.

(Foreigners have reportedly been able to purchase birth certificates, which is the most important document when applying for Philippine passports.)

Hontiveros reiterated the possible national security implications of these allegations.

“Posibleng may national security implications, lalo na kung i-uugnay dun sa mga ulat at tanong na may sleeper cells ba ang mga ito dito sa ating bansa. Kaya naitanong po namin baka yung end game ng POGOs ay hindi lang yung POGOs mismo pero makapasok po talaga sa ating mga mahahalagang institusyon at i-undermine yung ating national security,” she said.

(There are possible national security implications, especially if we connect this to reports and rumors of sleeper cells in our country. We couldn't help but ask if the end game of POGOs is not only gambling operations but are the means to slip within our important institutions and undermine our national security.) 

Aside from the possible existence of “sleeper cells”, Zubiri expressed concern of criminal syndicates that might be using official Philippine documents in their illegal activities such as kidnap for ransom, extortion and sex trafficking.

“That’s why I hope that the investigation will be done very quickly after the budget hearings and we will come up with a law. My suggestion is the Senate spearhead a law increasing the fines, penalties and jail terms for government agencies giving out these legal documents to unscrupulous individuals,” Zubiri said.—Hana Bordey/RF, GMA Integrated News