House probe on fake PH birth certificates, passports sought

A congressional inquiry on the proliferation of supposedly fictitious and falsified birth certificates and Philippine passports to foreigners has been proposed before the House of Representatives.

Lanao del Sur lawmaker Ziaur Adiong made the call under House Resolution 1802, which tasks the House Committee on Local Government and the House Committee on Justice in conducting an inquiry in aid of legislation in the aftermath of a Senate probe revelation that 308 birth certificates used for passport application were maliciously obtained and the July 11 National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)’s report of nearly 200 fictitious birth certificates were issued to mostly Chinese citizens by the civil registry of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

"We must take immediate and decisive action to address this issue and prevent further exploitation of our systems. This inquiry is important in maintaining the integrity of the nation’s identification systems and ensuring national security,” Adiong said in a statement.

Adiong said the House investigation will cover the following:

• Detailed timeline of events leading to the uncovering of the faked birth certificates and passports.
• Involvement of Local Civil Registrars in the issuance of fake birth certificates.
• Additional actions and detailed guidelines to prevent the similar problem from occurring in the Philippine Statistics Authority, Local Civil Registrars and in other government agencies and corporations.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, that the Committee on Local Government and Committee on Justice be directed to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, to investigate the proliferation of allegedly fictitious and falsified birth certificates and passports under the mandate of the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the liability of its officers for such proliferation,” Adiong said.

The Senate has earlier sought a similar inquiry on issuance of fake birth certificates after the Senate proved unearthed that Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo have multiple birth certificate records with conflicting entries. 

Guo is under fire over her alleged involvement in the illegal activities  linked to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub located at Baofu Land Development, Inc. property in Bamban that was recently a subject of a raid by authorities. —RF, GMA Integrated News