Gov’t moves to cancel mining exec's PH birth certificate

The government is preparing to cancel nickel magnate Joseph Sy’s birth certificate after authorities identified him as Chinese national Chen Zhong Zhen, raising questions about his Filipino citizenship.

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said it is coordinating with other agencies to gather evidence to support allegations that Sy is not a Filipino citizen.

“In fact, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) already requested our office to file a petition,” Assistant Solicitor General Eric Panga said during the Senate Justice and Human Rights subcommittee hearing.

Sy, chair of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc., is facing a Senate inquiry over his citizenship after being identified as a supposed Chinese national.

Panga was asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros, who presided over the hearing, whether the OSG would file a petition to cancel Sy’s birth certificate if it is confirmed that he is not a Filipino.

“We are coordinating with the BI and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for documents, because we want to file the case with evidence from the BI and PSA to support our claim that he is an alien,” Panga said in response.

The PSA said it found irregularities in the late registration of Sy’s birth certificate and is set to submit its findings on his citizenship to the OSG.

PSA engineer Marizza Grande said the Fraud Management Division made the findings after conducting a fact-finding investigation at the local civil registry office in October.

She added that Sy’s birth certificate was registered when he was 41 years old.

“In general, hindi po siya compliant, or irregular ‘yung process of the late registration,” Grande said.
(In general, the process of late registration was not compliant or was irregular.)

According to Grande, applicants are required to submit two proofs of birth. Sy, however, only submitted a baptismal certificate.

“Kapag nagco-conduct po kami ng fact-finding, tinitingnan din po namin sa source ng document kung totoo po ba ‘yung issuing agency, so pinupuntahan po namin… ‘yun pong baptismal certificate ay hindi po siya, ‘yun nga po, fake din,” she said.

(When we conduct fact-finding, we also check the source of the document to verify the issuing agency. That baptismal certificate is not authentic; it is, as we said, fake.)

Grande added that the PSA is currently investigating related documents of Sy’s children.

Hontiveros previously stated that Sy’s supposed Filipino parents are not listed in PSA records.

Meanwhile, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Viado claimed that Chen Zhong Zhen admitted to being Joseph Sy.

“Meron po siyang admission on record na siya ay si Joseph Sy. One and the same person,” the commissioner said.

(Chen Zhong Zhen admitted on record that he is Joseph Sy—one and the same person.)

Sy personally attended the hearing but refused to respond to Hontiveros' queries.

He repeatedly invoked his right to remain silent and his right against self-incrimination, citing his ongoing deportation case that is pending before the Court of Appeals.—MCG, GMA Integrated News