By Filane Mikee Cervantes
MANILA – A House of Representatives panel on Wednesday approved in principle a bill seeking to expedite the cancellation of birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals.
During the hearing, the House Committee on Population and Family Relations passed House Bill (HB) No. 11117, also known as the proposed Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law, which targets foreign nationals, including those linked to illegal drug operations and crimes associated with Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
In an interview, Quad Committee (quadcom) co-chair and Manila (6th District) Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., author of the measure, underscored the importance of a streamlined administrative process to address the fraudulent birth certificates issue.
He noted that securing Philippine birth certificates through fraudulent means grants foreigners access to opportunities reserved for Filipino citizens and facilitates involvement in illegal activities.
“Kasi sa quadcom nakita namin ang napakaraming mga Chinese na nakakuha ng passport (In the quadcom, we’ve seen so many Chinese nationals obtaining [Philippine] passports), and the only way for them to have an official passport would be that they would have officially legal certificates, birth certificates. Eh ‘di naman sila pinanganak dito, taga-China naman sila (They weren’t born here; they’re from China),” Abante said.
Abante expressed optimism for the bill’s swift passage before the 19th Congress concludes.
“This is a very important bill that ought to be approved,” Abante said.
Under the measure, a Special Committee on Cancellation of Fraudulent Birth Certificates would be formed, chaired by the Philippine Statistics Authority Registrar General and comprising members from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Interior and Local Government, as well as the Office of the Solicitor General.
The committee would be tasked with investigating complaints, issuing subpoenas, and deciding on cases related to fraudulent birth certificates within 30 days based on evidence.
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, though appealable to the Office of the President.
Public officials and private individuals found facilitating such fraudulent registrations would also face penalties under the bill. (PNA)
