Gatchalian files bill to prevent Philippine citizenship fraud

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to establish a new civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system to prevent foreign nationals from fraudulently acquiring Philippine citizenship.

His proposed Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act aims to implement a modern and streamlined registration system designed to accurately establish an individual’s identity for both administrative and legal purposes.

"We want a new CRVS system so that there will be no other Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping who will surface, somebody who will pretend to be a Filipino, and will infiltrate the government to deceive," Gatchalian said.

READ: Gatchalian: Crime syndicates may have infiltrated gov’t agencies

He cited a recent court decision that found the former Bamban mayor to be undoubtedly Chinese.

Under the proposed measure, higher penalties will be imposed on those who commit offenses such as forging civil registry documents, submitting false information during civil registration, and facilitating the preparation of civil registry documents containing fraudulent details.

Penalties also await individuals who fail to report vital events and health facilities that refuse to report births due to unpaid hospital fees.

Gatchalian emphasized the need to update the law, noting that the current penalties for violations of the Act are minimal and outdated.

As of November 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has already blocked 1,627 suspicious birth certificates linked to foreign nationals, 18 of which have been endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation.

The PSA has also identified 14.9 million late birth registrations submitted between 2010 and 2024, which are subject to review to verify authenticity. Among these is the birth certificate of Guo, which contains discrepancies. /mcm/abc

(2025/07/08-10:18)