Senate defense panel urged to probe foreigners' use of unlawfully obtained docs

The Senate committee on national defense has been urged to investigate the policy, public safety, and national security implications of foreigners' alleged use of falsified or unlawfully obtained documents and other schemes to present themselves as citizens of the Philippines.

This developed after Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros filed on Tuesday proposed Resolution 1001, noting a "dramatic influx" of foreign nationals into the country and following the reports on the spike of Chinese students in local higher education institutions (HEIs).

"[A]ccording to informal reports from law enforcement agents, the use of these falsified or unlawfully-obtained documents has perhaps led to large numbers of foreign nationals concentrating in certain strategic areas of the country, the national security implications of which are currently investigated by our defense establishment," Hontiveros said in the proposed resolution.

The senator mentioned an April 5, 2024 report of the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok wherein four Chinese nationals were apprehended for posing as Filipinos by using Philippine passports, birth certificates issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, and Philippine Postal identity cards.

She likewise cited Cagayan Rep. Joseph "Jojo" Lara's statement, saying he received reports from his constituents that agents or fixers were charging foreign students P1 million to enter Cagayan. Of this amount, 80% was pocketed by an agent or fixer while the remaining 20% went to the school.

Further, Hontiveros noted incidents wherein the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Bureau of Investigation questioned residents of a subdivision in Parañaque City over the presence of a large group of foreign nationals in an exclusive enclave within the area.

According to the senator, a director of this subdivision alleged that foreign nationals numbering "in the thousands" employed by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) had established an exclusive enclave within its residential area.

"It was observed that, at certain times of the day, the foreigners would fall into what appeared to be military formation, and jog around the subdivision while wearing the same black athletic attire, and sporting uniform, military-style haircuts," the resolution read.

The said subdivision is beside the country's main gateway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), and less than 5 kms from military installations in Fort Bonifacio and the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force in Villamor Airbase, she noted.

In a statement, Hontiveros stressed the need for the probe amid the ongoing issues in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

"Sa panahong kaliwa't kanan ang pag-water cannon ng Tsina sa mga Pilipinong barko, siguro naman may karapatan tayong maalarma. Siguro naman hindi masama magduda. I have led countless Senate inquiries that revealed how foreigners not only abuse our immigration processes, but also use fake documents to obtain birth certificates and Philippine passports. It is only natural that we look into if this trend is, in any way, related to Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea," Hontiveros said.

"The Philippines is not for sale. Nobody should treat our national identity like goods to buy or sell. Sa dami ng mga report tungkol sa mga black market na ito, magtataka ka talaga kung may kinalaman ba ito sa ating pambansang seguridad. Kailangan maliwanagan tayo kung may papel dito ang mismong gubyerno ng Beijing," she added.

(With numerous reports about this black market, you cannot help but ask if this was related to our national security. We should identify if the Chinese government is involved in this.)

In an interview, Senate national defense committee chairman Jinggoy Estrada said he would conduct the investigation once Hontiveros' resolution is referred to his committee.

For Estrada, the case in Thailand where Philippine passports were used by foreign nationals is "quite alarming."

"Baka kung ano gawin ng mga intsik do'n tapos magpapanggap sila na mga Pilipino sila. Eh kung ano gawin sa ibang bansa ng mga Chinese nationals na yan. Eh kung magpanggap sila na terorista tapos Philippine passport ang gamit," he said.

Estrada also said that the supposed influx of Chinese nationals in Cagayan is "quite suspicious."

"Bakit sa iisang probinsya lang? Eh marami naman tayong magagaling na unibersidad at mga kolehiyo dito sa Metro Manila...Bakit confined lang sa iisang lalawigan? Sa iisang lugar lang. So it's kind of suspicious dahil meron tayong dalawang EDCA sites malapit sa Cagayan Valley," he said.

Prior to Hontiveros' filing of this resolution, the Senate blue ribbon committee had already launched an investigation into the alleged unauthorized proliferation and use of government documents by foreign nationals, such as certificates of live births, passports, and tax identification numbers. — VDV, GMA Integrated News