Senator Pia Cayetano Applauds Move To Cancel Fraudulent Birth Certificates

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) PHILIPPINES, January 4 - Press Release
January 4, 2025

SENATOR PIA CAYETANO APPLAUDS MOVE TO CANCEL FRAUDULENT BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Senator Pia S. Cayetano, Chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, applauds the Office of the Solicitor General's (OSG) "decisive step" to cancel fraudulently acquired Philippine birth certificates of foreigners.

"The OSG's move directly addresses the alarming findings of our Blue Ribbon Committee hearings last March and August 2024, which revealed that Philippine citizenship is being sold, with some foreign nationals paying up to P300,000 for fraudulent government IDs," Cayetano stated.

During the said hearings, a striking case in Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur was raised, wherein it was discovered that 54 out of 1,501 suspicious birth certificates issued between 2016 and 2023 belonged to individuals with foreign parents. These documents showed identical penmanship and impossibly claimed that the same midwife attended births in various villages on the same days.

According to the Senator, the Committee hearings exposed systematic fraud in the local civil registration system, particularly in the issuance of birth certificates through late registration.

"Our investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern where foreign nationals, including those involved in illegal POGO operations, have exploited vulnerabilities in our civil registration system. This is not just about documentation - but also of our country's national security." Cayetano explained.

"The cancellation of these fraudulent documents sends a clear message: Philippine citizenship is NOT for sale," Cayetano stressed.

The Senator also called for sustained coordination between government agencies. "While we welcome this step, we need proactive and sustained cooperation between the Philippine Statistics Authority, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Foreign Affairs, and local government units, specifically their local civil registries, to prevent similar schemes in the future."

SENADOR PIA CAYETANO, SANG-AYON SA PAGKANSELA NG MGA PEKENG BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Sinang-ayunan ni Senador Pia S. Cayetano, Chairperson ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, ang "decisive step" ng Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) na kanselahin ang mga birth certificate ng mga dayuhan na nakuha sa pamamagitan ng pandaraya.

"The OSG's move directly addresses the alarming findings of our Blue Ribbon Committee hearings last March and August 2024, which revealed that Philippine citizenship is being sold, with some foreign nationals paying up to P300,000 for fraudulent government IDs," wika ni Cayetano.

Sa mga nasabing pagdinig, naging kapansin-pansin ang kaso sa Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur kung saan natuklasan na 54 sa 1,501 kaduda-dudang birth certificate na inilabas mula 2016 hanggang 2023 ay pag-aari ng mga indibidwal na may dayuhang magulang. Ang mga dokumentong ito ay nagpakita ng magkakaparehong sulat-kamay at hindi kapani-paniwalang iisang komadrona lamang ang dumalo sa mga panganganak sa iba't ibang barangay sa loob ng iisang araw.

Ayon sa Senador, inilantad ng mga pagdinig ng Komite ang sistematikong pandaraya sa lokal na sistema ng civil registration, lalo na sa pagpapalabas ng mga birth certificate sa pamamagitan ng late registration.

"Our investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern where foreign nationals, including those involved in illegal POGO operations, have exploited vulnerabilities in our civil registration system. This is not just about documentation - but also of our country's national security," paliwanag ni Cayetano.

"The cancellation of these fraudulent documents sends a clear message: Philippine citizenship is NOT for sale," diin ni Cayetano.

Nanawagan din ang Senador para sa patuloy na koordinasyon sa pagitan ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno. "While we welcome this step, we need proactive and sustained cooperation between the Philippine Statistics Authority, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Foreign Affairs, and local government units, specifically their local civil registries, to prevent similar schemes in the future."

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Blue Ribbon Committee hearing last March 2024 -

last August 2024 - .

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