Senator Gatchalian Proposes New Law to Prevent Citizenship Fraud
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has introduced a bill to establish a modern civil registration and vital statistics system aimed at preventing foreign nationals from illegally obtaining Philippine citizenship. This Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act seeks to create a more efficient and accurate way to verify an individual’s identity for legal and administrative purposes.
Gatchalian emphasized the urgency of the bill to avoid cases like that of Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, who allegedly pretended to be Filipino and infiltrated government agencies. “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,” he said.
Higher Penalties and Stricter Measures Under Proposed Bill
The bill also proposes tougher penalties for offenses such as forging civil registry documents, submitting false information, and facilitating fraudulent records. It includes sanctions against those who fail to report vital events like births and those health facilities that refuse to report births due to unpaid fees.
Gatchalian pointed out that the current law’s penalties are outdated and insufficient to deter these violations. The updated law aims to close loopholes and strengthen safeguards in the registration process.
Philippine Statistics Authority’s Role and Findings
As of November 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has blocked 1,627 suspicious birth certificates linked to foreign nationals. Among these, 18 cases have been forwarded to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation.
Moreover, the PSA identified nearly 15 million late birth registrations filed between 2010 and 2024. These are currently under review to verify their authenticity. The birth certificate of Guo, the individual cited by Gatchalian, was among those found to contain discrepancies.
With this bill, the government aims to protect the integrity of Philippine citizenship and prevent illegal infiltration through fraudulent documents.
For more news and updates on Philippine citizenship fraud, visit Filipinokami.com.