THE House of Representatives' quad committee this week handed documents to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for an investigation into alleged land acquisition by Chinese citizens through fraudulent Filipino citizenship. The evidence was gathered during the committee's investigation of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
Quad panel chairman Robert Ace Barbers said the committee had recommended giving the documents to the OSG so it could conduct its own investigation for possible forfeiture proceedings for these properties. In its letter to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, the panel, citing national security, recommended that the OSG "expedite the review of these documents," but there are clear indications that the suspicious land deal involved is just the tip of the national security iceberg.
During the Senate hearings on POGOs, it became apparent that Chinese citizens involved in these operations were able to purchase land — and one even won as mayor — by illegally obtaining foundational documents, such as birth certificates and passports, to mask their true identities.
In July, after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found that as many as 1,200 falsified birth certificates were issued to Chinese citizens in Davao del Sur, Senate President Francis Escudero called for a wider investigation behind the falsified foundational documents.
He believed the case of dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo was "not the first and will certainly not be the last to fake a birth certificate." Guo, who was elected in 2022, has been charged over her alleged involvement in illegal gambling and other criminal activities. The Senate investigation revealed she was already 19 years old when she obtained her birth certificate.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who led the hearings on Guo's involvement in POGOs, said the discovery of thousands of fake identities "is a clear threat to public order and national security."
"Somewhere out there, someone with a fake identity is trying to buy land, use Philippine passports to give himself or herself a brand new identity, form corporations, and perhaps even have the audacity to run for public office. This has been done before," she said.
"Who are the ones enabling this? Who are the accomplices or protectors?...We must crack down on Filipinos who have made this possible," the senator added.
This is a call that demands to be heeded.
So far, the NBI seems to have focused on the local civil registrar's (LCR) office in Davao del Sur's Sta. Cruz town, where it found 1,501 fake birth records issued from 2016 to 2023. The birth certificates were issued to Chinese citizens who had no trace of being residents of the town, NBI Davao Regional Director Arcelito Albao said.
In August, Albao said they were ready to file charges against those involved in the scheme and would also seek the cancellation of those certificates issued by the syndicate, which involves fixers, notaries and contacts in the LCR. Since then, nothing more has been reported on the case or any subsequent investigations.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which is responsible for providing technical supervision to LCRs, merely issued an advisory saying it has verified and provided the necessary information related to the birth records under investigation to the NBI.
"The PSA emphasizes that the registered birth records emanated from the Local Civil Registry Office of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. As of this writing, we received a report that the concerned civil registrar was already relieved by the local chief executive from his duties in line with the PSA's recommendation to look into the matter as a result of the fact-finding investigation conducted by the agency in a similar incident last year," the advisory said.
"The PSA assures the public that appropriate measures will be continuously pursued, including the conduct of a thorough investigation, collaboration with law enforcement agencies, blocking of doubtful birth records in the PSA database, and case building for purposes of endorsing the same for possible filing of a petition for cancellation of birth records or certificates," it added.
The advisory hardly inspires confidence, with its lack of detail and transparency. Specifically, we would like to know if the problem is localized or if it exists or even thrives, undetected, elsewhere in the country. The advisory mentions "a similar incident last year" without saying where this was detected, the extent of it or how it was eventually resolved.
Foundational documents like birth certificates are the building blocks of a person's identity. They can be used by foreigners to illegally obtain passports, property and even public office. Given the serious threat this poses to national security, we deserve more than vague promises of further investigation. We need action now.
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