Senators welcome gov't plan to cancel fraudulent birth certificates of foreigners

Several senators welcomed Friday the government's plan to cancel all birth certificates that were fraudulently acquired by foreigners in the country following the total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

In a statement, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who was among the legislators who pushed for the government ban, said the probe on POGO operations had revealed critical weaknesses in the processes, including the acquisition of birth certificates through late registration process.

"This weakness enabled foreigners to become instant Filipinos without going through the naturalization process which in turn enabled them to buy properties and even startup businesses," Gatchalian said.

"I agree that these fraudulent birth certificates should immediately be tracked down and cancelled so that these criminals will no longer have a basis to stay in the country," he added.

For his part, Senator Joel Villanueva pointed out that the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo had shown the magnitude and extent of the dilemma on foreign nationals who illegally acquired their Philippine citizenship as well as their passports and government identification cards.

"This is a welcome development, especially now that POGO operations have officially ended per Executive Order 74 issued by the President," Villanueva said.

"We hope that this does not stop with those already identified but should expand proactively, in coordination with other relevant agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine Statistics Authority, to cancel fraudulent birth certificates," he added.

Their remarks came after the Office of the Solicitor General said Thursday that it would seek to cancel all birth certificates that were fraudulently acquired by foreigners in the country.

The OSG said it is also targeting to forfeit illegally acquired real properties and other assets of foreigners.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered a nationwide ban on POGOs in July of last year following numerous cases linking the industry to crimes such as human trafficking, illegal detention, and financial scams.

In November, Marcos issued Executive Order 74, which extended the ban to include illegal offshore gaming operations, new license applications, license renewals, and ongoing operations. — VDV, GMA Integrated News