Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco thanked lawmakers and local law enforcement agencies for focusing on resolving the problem on fake Filipinos
Tansingco said that they have raised the concern since last year after intercepting at least 10 cases of foreign nationals misrepresenting themselves as Filipinos with fraudulently acquired Philippine documents.
“Once they present themselves as a Filipino, they already removed from the purview of the BI which monitors foreigners,” said Tansingco. “Apart from this, they are able to present layers and layers of Philippine documents, all original, pushing for their claim,” he added.
He said that foreigners are able to acquire numerous Philippine documents after illegally acquiring foundational documents such as birth certificates.
Such documents, Tansingco said, can be abused by foreign nationals involved in terrorism, heinous crimes, or fraud. It would also imply that illegal aliens may end up being able to vote, or assimilate themselves in the society while conducting their illegal activities.
Tansingco said that it has requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the names and other details associated with the 200 falsified birth certificates issued by the civil registry in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
The BI also requested information from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regarding all Filipinos who availed of the late registration scheme and were subsequently issued birth certificates. This data will be cross-checked to verify if these individuals were issued or have used Philippine passports.
“We must be proactive and thorough in our approach to prevent the misuse of Philippine documents by foreign nationals,” Tansingco emphasized. “This is an issue of national security, and needs to be addressed immediately,” he added.
The move comes after the NBI discovered nearly 200 fake birth certificates, mostly issued to Chinese nationals by the civil registry in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
The BI shared that it has intercepted another 4 cases of fraudulently acquired Philippine citizenship in the past week.
