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MANILA – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday reported that it was able to block 1,501 birth registrations by Chinese nationals with falsified documents from the local civil registrar (LCR) of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
PSA National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis Mapa said during a Senate budget hearing that some of the blocked birth registrations were already recommended to be canceled by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
“We have already blocked 1,500 birth registrations. Karamihan po dun nanggaling sa Sta. Cruz. Ibig sabihin po hindi na nila mare-request (Most of them are from Sta. Cruz. It means that they can’t request anymore), 18 of which were already sent to Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation,” Mapa told the panel.
Out of the 1,634 local civil registrars in the country, he said the PSA’s Fraud Management Division was able to identify 49 LRCs with reports of fraud.
“We confirm that 15 of them ay merong naglabas ng birth cirtificates na foreig
n national na hindi tama (issued birth certificates for foreign national which is not right),” Mapa said.
Mapa said late birth registration is not “unusual” for the PSA considering that there were millions applying for late registration.
“Kasi kapag 30 days upon your birth ay hindi mo narehistro dun sa [local civil registrar], late na agad yun. At marami tayong mga Pilipino sa ngayon, based on 2020 Census, 3.7 million ang wala pang birth certificate (Because if you haven’t registered it with the local civil registrar 30 days after birth, it’s already considered late. And we have a lot of Filipinos right now, based on 2020 Census, 3.7 million do not have a birth certificate),” he explained.
However, Mapa said the Chinese nationals who applied for late birth registration in Sta. Cruz are all 18 years old and above, and most of them did not appear before the LCR.
To avoid this kind of fraud, Mapa said PSA already issued a memorandum last July requiring late registrants to appear for an interview and register
for the National ID system.
The National Bureau of Investigation revealed in a previous public hearing by the Senate Committee on Public Services that more than 1,000 Chinese nationals were given Filipino birth certificates through late registration in Sta. Cruz town. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News agency
