A PHILIPPINE senator has filed a resolution seeking a probe of fake birth certificates used by foreign criminals to skirt immigration laws.
“Syndicates may be behind the proliferation of fake birth certificates as well as the apparent abuse of the late birth registration system,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in Senate Resolution No. 1053 filed on June 18.
The Senate is investigating crimes and alleged Chinese espionage linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
Mr. Gatchalian said allowing more foreigners to get government-issued IDs would worsen money laundering and human trafficking.
An average of 972,830 Filipinos delayed their birth registrations yearly from 2013 to 2022, he said, citing 2022 data from the local statistics agency.
About 3.7 million Filipinos did not have birth certificates due to high costs, lack of time and lack of awareness, he added. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
