Foreigners using fake Filipino birth certificates still out there, says Risa
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros expressed support for the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) efforts to revoke fraudulent birth certificates used by foreigners to assume Filipino identities, warning that fraudsters are still out there.
The issue gained prominence after the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo made international headlines in 2024. Guo’s case revealed a pattern of foreigners forging Philippine birth certificates to assume a Filipino identity.
“I welcome the OSG’s move to proactively revoke birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“I am certain that there are still foreigners that use the Philippine birth certificate in the wrong way, so they must be thoroughly found out and punished by the law. Let us be vigilant about efforts of POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) criminals to obtain Filipino citizenship by whatever means,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Hontiveros led a Senate probe that exposed government lapses, including lax birth certificate issuance and immigration protocols that allowed Guo to flee. While her status as a foreigner remains unresolved, the case underscored links between fake documents and POGOs.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned POGOs in 2024, setting a year-end deadline for authorities to remove them from the country. However, as the deadline has lapsed with the New Year, the government still has post-POGO messes to clean, including illegal foreign workers and fake birth certificates.
Cleanup efforts
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra outlined the OSG’s priorities for addressing these problems.
“The OSG’s massive post-POGO tasks will consist of cancelling all certificates of birth fraudulently acquired by aliens/foreign nationals and forfeiting their illegally acquired real properties and other assets in the Philippines,” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra told reporters on January 1.
POGO assets. While the total value of these assets remains undetermined, Guevarra said the immediate goal is to seize control over them.
Hontiveros suggested that these confiscated properties be repurposed to aid victims of POGO-related crimes.
“These properties should then be used as reparation for human trafficking victim-survivors, as stated in the Anti-Financial Account and Scamming Act,” she said.
At its peak, the POGO industry became notorious for fostering illegal activities such as human trafficking, gambling and scams.
Hontiveros urged the government to make it a New Year’s resolution to ensure no foreigners exploit Philippine laws moving forward.
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