OSG seeks to cancel all fraudulent birth certificates of foreigners

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) will seek to cancel all birth certificates that were fraudulently acquired by foreigners in the country as the government ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) is now in place.

"The OSG's massive post-POGO tasks will consist of cancelling all certificates of birth fraudulently acquired by aliens/foreign nationals," Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said in statement Thursday.

Aside from this, Guevarra said the OSG is also targeting to forfeit illegally acquired real properties and other assets of foreigners.

"At this time we have no definite figures on the aggregate value of these assets. The first order of the day is to take possession of and control over them," he said.

Last year, the OSG filed a petition to cancel the birth certificate of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo before the Tarlac RTC-Branch 111.

The petition came after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Alice Guo and Chinese citizen Guo Hua Ping have the same fingerprints.

Guevarra, however, said that thousands of similar cases still remain.

"In the case of fraudulent birth certificates, we are talking of thousands of such cases, na ang gusto ng QuadComm ay mapa-cancel din through the OSG," he said.

(In the case of fraudulent birth certificates, we are talking of thousands of such cases that the QuadComm wants cancelled through the OSG.)

"'Yung sa civil forfeiture cases naman, alam din natin na napakaraming na-discover na mga POGO assets na apparently illegally acquired kaya the OSG was also directed to initiate the appropriate legal actions," he added.

(For the civil forfeiture cases, we all know that authorities discovered numerous POGO assets that were apparently illegally acquired. So, the OSG was also directed to initiate the appropriate legal action.) 

The Solicitor General said the OSG also hopes that a bill on the administrative cancellation of birth certificates will be passed soon to expedite the cancellation of birth certificates.

Guevarra said that once the birth certificates are cancelled, foreigners will no longer have legal evidence for things that they may intend to do.

"Like for example, if they're running for public office, definitely hindi na sila mag qua-qualify kasi maipapakita natin na hindi naman sila Pinoy," he said.

(For example, if they're running for public office, they are definitely not qualified because they can no longer prove they are Filipino.)

"Ngayon kung meron din silang ginawang violation ng Immigration Laws natin by falsifying, for example, their travel documents or their passports ay maaaring sila ay ma-deport apart from makasuhan for violation ng ating immigration laws," he added.

(Now, if they committed violations of our Immigration Laws by falsifying, for example, their travel documents or their passports, they can be deported or charged with violation of our immigration laws.)

Leaders of the House of Representatives Quad Committee have 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 POGOs.

More out there

For her part, Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed this development, saying she believes that there are still foreigners in the country who are using their birth certificates for the wrong reasons.

"Sigurado ako na meron pa diyang mga dayuhan na ginagamit ang Philippine birth certificate sa maling paraan, kaya sana maiging matukoy na sila at maparusahan sa batas," said Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality which investigated Guo's alleged involvement in the raided POGO hub in Bamban.

(I am sure that there are some foreigners that are still using their Philippine birth certificate for the wrong reasons, so I hope they will be immediately identified and held accountable under the law.)

"Let us be vigilant about efforts of POGO criminals to obtain Filipino citizenship by whatever means," she added.

The senator also expressed hope that the proposed Anti-POGO Act will be passed this year.

"Kailangan natin ng komprehensibong batas para masigurado na wala nang POGO ang mangsca-scam, mananakit, at manlilinlang sa napakaraming tao," she said.

(We need a comprehensive law to ensure that no more POGO will scam, hurt, or fool many people.)

Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva said Guo’s case showed the country the magnitude of the problem of foreigners illegally acquiring Philippine citizenship, passports, and government identification cards.

In a statement welcoming the OSG's plans, Villanueva said, "We hope that this does not stop with those already identified but should expand proactively, in coordination with other relevant agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine Statistics Authority, to cancel fraudulent birth certificates."

He said Senate Bill  2868, which he authored, authorizes the forfeiture of all POGO assets in favor of the government. He said these may be disposed of in accordance with existing laws, rules, and regulations.

Guo is also facing a qualified human trafficking case before a Pasig court, a graft case before a Valenzuela court, and a material misrepresentation case before a Tarlac court.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint, 87 counts for money laundering, and a perjury and falsification complaint before the DOJ.

Guo has denied the numerous charges against her.

Senator Grace Poe earlier said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has blocked more than 1,600 birth certificates of foreigners due to false documents that were submitted. Poe sponsored the proposed budget of NEDA, which lists PSA as one of its attached agencies. — VDV, GMA Integrated News