Probe on late birth registration urged

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has called for a Blue Ribbon committee inquiry into the massive corruption at the Philippine Statistics Authority’s late birth certificate registration system.

In Senate Resolution 378, Lacson recalled the Senate investigations into the use of the late birth certificate registration to falsely obtain a Filipino citizenship, citing the cases of convicted human trafficker Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, and alleged Chinese national, mining magnate Joseph Sy.

He said there are 50,532 registration records flagged as “potentially fraudulent” across 1,634 Local Civil Registry Offices (LCRO).

Lacson cited authorities’ investigation on an alleged syndicate in North Cotabato involving retired civil registrar Arlene Cudal and active registrars Marilou Nanlabi and Michael Tobias, who allegedly offered the late registration system to foreigners – mostly Chinese – to obtain Philippine citizenship for a fee.

He also cited another modus operandi in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan where Chinese nationals were given birth certificates for P30,000 to P100,000.

“Evidence confirms that the above-mentioned cases are not locally isolated incidents of corruption, but a nationwide syndicate criminal scheme,” Lacson said in the resolution.

Lacson said the entry of foreign nationals to the Philippines by pretending to be Filipinos is a serious national security breach.

“Such unlawful practices nonetheless erode the integrity of our national registration system, with consequences that extend far beyond mere administrative irregularities – rendering our country vulnerable even to potential national security risks,” he said.

Lacson lamented the gaps in the birth registration system that allowed syndicates to make money from the corruption racket.

“There is a need to investigate these corrupt personalities to bring them to justice and come up with remedial measures that will address the inefficient audit and monitoring architecture governing our LCROs that have allowed this criminal modus to perpetuate for years without being detected,” Lacson said.