Alleged syndicate behind fake birth certificates scheme in Davao del Sur – NBI

MANILA, Philippines – A regional office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said a syndicate must be behind the issuance of fake birth certificates in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.

“With the number of spurious and falsified documents we have identified for 2018-2019, it is evident this involves a significant syndicate and substantial financial transactions. A fixer, a Chinese national, has been connected to the agency,” NBI Davao Region Director Archie Albao told Newsline Philippines.

The town’s civil registry chief, Melanie Duhaylungsod, said they were backtracking their records after they were ordered to check all Chinese name registrations for the last 10 years. However, the local registry chief clarified that not all birth records involving Chinese were questionable.

The NBI recently revealed that it discovered around 1,200 fake birth certificates in Davao del Sur. Prior to this, the bureau said they discovered around 200 fake birth certificates issued mostly to Chinese nationals by the civil registry of the Davao del Sur town.

Newsline reported that the issue of fake birth certificates in Davao came to light because of an incident involving a Chinese who applied for a passport at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Davao, but could speak neither Bisaya nor Tagalog. It was later revealed, according to Newsline, that the foreigner assumed a Filipino name and claimed birth information that did not align with his other documents.

In a statement on Monday, July 15, Santa Cruz Mayor Jose Nelson Sala Sr. said they will cooperate with the NBI probe, adding that they are also conducting their own investigation into the scheme.

“We welcome the investigation made by the NBI and other related national government agencies as this will also help our own investigation in curbing the proliferation of spurious birth certificates in our municipality,” Sala said.

Threat to national security

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who currently leads the probe into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), said the thousands of fake identities is a threat to the country’s security.

“Uncovering thousands of fake identities is a clear threat to public order and national security. Our recent legislative inquiries into POGOs have already revealed that criminal groups use fake Filipino citizenship to carry out their illicit activities. We, at the Senate, will continue to look into this alarming trend,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Tuesday, July 16.

The opposition senator also condemned the so-called sale of Filipino identity: “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.”

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement on Monday that they already requested the NBI for names and other details of the people involved in the over 200 fake birth certificates. Tansingco said they also requested information from the Philippine Statistics Authority regarding Filipinos who availed late registration and were issued birth certificates belatedly.

The BI chief said that, as early as last year, the bureau has been monitoring alleged fake identities after intercepting at least 10 foreigners misrepresenting themselves as Filipinos using illegally acquired Philippine documents. Tansingco explained that some of these foreigners were able to secure Philippine documents after “illegally acquiring foundational documents such as birth certificates.”

“This is an issue of national security, and needs to be addressed immediately,” Tansingco said.

Prior to the issue of fake birth certificates in Davao del Sur, a similar issue concerning alleged fake identity was already raised in legislative hearings. This was the case of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who does not only face probe over her alleged ties illegal with an illegal POGO, but also because of her shady background.

In one of the public hearings on illegal POGOs, Guo claimed she could not remember basic details about her life. Later, the NBI confirmed that the fingerprints of Guo and Guo Hua Ping, the Chinese woman suspected to be her true identity, matched.

The Office of the Solicitor General has sought to cancel Guo’s birth certificate, which could be used in the quo warranto petition against her that could remove her from public office. – With reports from NewsLine Philippines/Rappler.com