A BILL providing for an administrative process for the cancellation of spurious birth certificates illicitly acquired by foreigners was filed at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, amid a congressional investigation into fraudulently acquired Filipino citizenship linked to illegal drugs and online casinos.
Filed by lawmakers part of the House quad committee, House Bill (HB) No. 11117 seeks to nullify fake Philippine documents by creating a special committee that would oversee investigations on alleged fake Filipinos and declare the cancellation of their birth certificates if found spurious.
Thousands of foreigners have reportedly acquired a Filipino citizenship through fraudulent means, according to the measure’s explanatory note, with more than 1,200 falsified birth certificates being issued by a Davao del Sur local civil registry alone in July.
“It is time to put an end to these unlawful activities,” the bill’s authors, led by Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio D. Gonzales, Jr. said in a statement. “Being a Filipino citizen should not be so easily acquired or given away by unscrupulous and selfish individuals who only wish to attain Filipino citizenship to fuel their self-interests.”
The House quad committee in October submitted to the Office of the Solicitor General documents detailing how a Chinese national illegally acquired a Filipino citizenship, with Surigao del Norte Rep. and panel chairman Robert Ace S. Barbers saying during the file turnover that several foreigners bought “thousands of hectares of land” with the help of fake birth certificates.
“There were Chinese citizens that became Filipinos. Because of that, they were able to acquire lands and organize corporations that are 100% under their ownership,” Mr. Barbers told reporters.
The 1987 Constitution bars foreigners from owning land in the country and places a 40% foreign ownership cap on certain Philippine businesses. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio