Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (rightmost) leads the filing of House Bill (HB) No.11117, also known as the proposed “Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law". (Quad-comm media)

Eager to show the public that House quad-committee hearings weren't all talk, leaders of the mega-panel filed on Wednesday morning Nov. 20 a seeking to establish an administrative process to expedite the cancellation of birth certificates fraudulently acquired by foreign nationals.

The measure, House Bill (HB) No.11117, also known as the proposed “Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law", covers those involved in illegal drug operations and other criminal activities associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Quad-comm overall chairman, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers led the filing of HB No.11117--the third legislative measure to result from the special four-way panel's investigation into alleged criminal activities by foreigners, particularly the use of falsified documents.

Wednesday's filing comes after revelations that thousands of foreign nationals have secured Philippine birth certificates through fraudulent means. In Davao del Sur alone, more than 1,200 falsified birth certificates were issued by the local civil registrar as of July 2024. 

The bill's authors suspect that these foreigners must have been assisted by public officers in local civil registry offices for them to secure such falsified birth certificates.

"Hindi natin palalampasin yung mga kawani ng gobyerno na naging instrumento dito sa mga anomalyang ito," Barbers said in a chance interview after the filing. 

(We won't tolerate the government employees who became instruments of these anomalies.)

Even with enough evidence of fraud, lawmakers noted that current procedures require a judicial order to cancel a birth certificate, a process that can take years. 

In the meantime, they said, the fraudulent documents allow foreign nationals to engage in crimes such as illegal drugs, money laundering, and human trafficking.

“This sad state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue,” said those who penned HB No.11117.

Under the proposed legislation, a Special Committee on Cancellation of Fraudulent Birth Certificates would be created, to be chaired by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Registrar General. The members will be composed of representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). 

The committee would be empowered to investigate complaints, subpoena evidence, and issue decisions on fraudulent birth certificates within 30 days of receiving evidence.

Complaints can be filed by any legal-age citizen or law enforcement agency and must include specific evidence, such as the name of the foreign national, the fraudulent birth certificate’s details, and the circumstances of its acquisition. 

The foreign national would have 15 days to respond to the complaint, after which the committee would conduct hearings and decide based on substantial evidence. 

Decisions would be immediately executory but could be appealed to the Office of the President, which must resolve the appeal within 30 days.

The bill also seeks to penalize public officials and private individuals involved in facilitating fraudulent registrations.

“It is time to put an end to these unlawful activities...Being a Filipino citizen should not be so easily acquired or given away by unscrupulous and selfish individuals who only wish to attain Filipino citizenship to fuel their self-interests. Being a Filipino is something that we should always honor and zealously protect," said the authors.

Other bills resulting from quad-comm probe 

The measure follows the filing of two other bills tied to the quad-comm investigations.

Earlier this month, leaders of the mega-panel filed HB No.11043, or the proposed “Civil Forfeiture Act,” which sought to authorize the government to seize real estate unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals, especially those linked to POGOs.

They also filed last October HB No.10987, or the “Anti-Offshore Gaming Operations Act", which sought to institutionalize a nationwide POGO ban. This reinforced President Marcos' directive to protect public safety and national security from criminal activities linked to POGOs. 

The aim of the legislation is to ban all offshore gaming in the country and impose penalties for violations.

Also last month, the quad-comm submitted key documents to the OSG for potential legal actions against Chinese nationals accused of using fake Filipino citizenship to acquire land and establish businesses in the Philippines. 

Aside from Barbers, other authors of HB No.11117 include Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr.; Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez; other quad-comm chairmen Reps Bienvenido Abante Jr., Dan Fernandez, and Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano; and quad-comm vice chairman Rep. Romeo Acop.

Other authors include Reps. Johnny Pimentel, Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, Rodge Gutierrez, Francisco Paolo Ortega V, Jay Khonghun, Jonathan Keith Flores, Jil Bongalon, Margarita “Atty. Migs” Nograles, Ernesto Dionisio Jr., Joel Chua, Zia Alonto Adiong, Lordan Suan, and Cheeno Miguel Almario.

"Hindi totoo na puros hearing lang ang quad-comm (It's not true that the quad-comm is all hearings)," Luistro told reporters.