Bill cancelling fraudulent birth certificates of foreigners filed in House

The leaders of House Quad Committee on Wednesday filed a bill seeking to cancel birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals, including those involved in illicit drug operations and other criminal activities related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). 

In filing House Bill (HB) No. 11117 or the “Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law,” lawmakers want to establish an administrative process for the revocation of fake birth certificates, noting the current procedure requires a judicial order, which could take years.

“A birth certificate is the most basic document a Filipino citizen must have,” the bill explanatory note read.

“It is a document which provides the imprimatur of the State that an individual is a Filipino and opens to the individual vast opportunities unavailable to foreigners, such as practicing a profession, pursuit of certain businesses, or even to run for public office,” it said.

House Senior Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales Jr.; Deputy Speaker Jay-Jay Suarez; Quad Comm chairpersons Robert Ace Barbers, Bienvenido Abante Jr., Dan Fernandez, and Joseph Stephen Paduano; and Quad Comm vice chairman Romeo Acop filed the measure.

Under the bill, a special committee for the cancellation of fraudulent birth certificates would be created. It would be tasked to investigate complaints, subpoena evidence, and issue decisions on fraudulent birth certificates within 30 days of receiving evidence.

It would be headed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Registrar General, with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Justice, and the Office of the Solicitor General as its members. 

Complaints can be filed by any legal-age citizen or law enforcement agency and must include specific evidence, such as the name of the foreign national, the fraudulent birth certificate’s details, and the circumstances of its acquisition.

The foreign national would have 15 days to respond to the complaint, after which the committee would conduct hearings and decide based on substantial evidence.

Decisions would be immediately executory but could be appealed to the Office of the President, which must resolve the appeal within 30 days.

Public officials and private individuals involved in facilitating fraudulent registrations will be penalized under the proposed law. 

This is the third bill that emanated from the Quad Comm investigations.

Earlier this month, HB 11043, or the proposed “Civil Forfeiture Act,” which seeks to authorize the government to seize real estate unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals, especially those linked to POGOs, was filed

Also filed  was HB 10987, or the “Anti-Offshore Gaming Operations Act,” aiming to institutionalize a nationwide POGO ban, reinforcing President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to protect public safety and national security from criminal activities linked to POGOs.—Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News