EDITORIAL — Rot in the PSA

In surveys by reputable pollsters, the revenue-generating agencies along with the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Public Works and Highways have vied for the dubious honor of being ranked as the most corrupt agencies. It’s disappointing that the Philippine Statistics Authority, which is associated with demographic data collection, has also become tainted with a corruption scandal.

The PSA recently reassigned and then suspended the long-time civil registrar of the municipality of Santa Cruz in Davao del Sur. This came amid a report of the National Bureau of Investigation that at least 102 foreigners, most of them Chinese nationals, were able to obtain Philippine citizenship using fake documents by availing themselves of late birth registration at the Santa Cruz civil registry.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he received reports from within the Chinese-Filipino community that the going rate for such fake Philippine birth certificates was P300,000. He is set to push for a Senate probe into the possible involvement of a syndicate within the PSA engaged in the fraudulent scheme.

The illegal activity in the Santa Cruz civil registry came to light following the arrest of a 21-year-old Chinese who was applying for a Philippine passport to travel to the United States. He presented a Philippine birth certificate, a PSA-issued national ID and a driver’s license, but personnel in the Department of Foreign Affairs became suspicious because he gave inconsistent answers and could not speak Cebuano or Filipino.

As of yesterday, the number of such fraudulent birth certificates had ballooned to 1,200, according to the NBI. This was in one town alone. Are there other areas in the country where civil registrars are granting fake Philippine birth certificates for a fee?

The issue drew national attention because of the case of suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, who obtained a Philippine birth certificate through late registration and managed to win public office in 2022. Through fingerprint matching, the NBI has determined that Guo is a Chinese national. Guo has denied the accusations and insisted that she is a Filipino, but has failed to surface amid an order for her arrest issued by the Senate.

In recent years, immigration officials had come under fire, with dozens of them slapped with criminal cases, for allowing the illegal entry of Chinese nationals who ended up working for Philippine offshore gaming operator firms. Now, possible corruption is being unearthed in the PSA. The agency will have to conduct a thorough housecleaning to excise this rot.