House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

A measure aimed at establishing an administrative process to swiftly cancel birth certificates that were fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals hurdled the committee level at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

House Bill (HB) No. 11117, also known as the “Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law,” was approved in principle, subject to style, by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations.

The measure targets foreign nationals, including those linked to illegal drug operations and crimes associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

The legislation was crafted following revelations during the House quad-committee (quad-comm) hearings that thousands of foreign nationals, primarily Chinese citizens, had fraudulently obtained Philippine birth certificates. These falsified documents were used to acquire passports and other official records.

In an interview, quad-comm co-chairman Manila 3rd district Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. underscored the importance of the bill in addressing the misuse of fraudulent documents.

“Kasi sa quad-comm nakita namin ang napakaraming mga Chinese na nakakuha ng passport (We learned during the quad-comm hearings that a lot of Chinese acquired passports), and the only way for them to have an official passport would be that they would have officially legal certificates, birth certificates," he explained

Eh ‘di naman sila pinanganak dito, taga-China naman sila (They were not born here, they're from China)," Abante noted.

.He said the measure would address fraudulent schemes enabling foreigners to obtain Philippine birth certificates, granting them access to opportunities reserved for Filipino citizens and facilitating involvement in illegal activities.

Abante expressed optimism for the bill’s swift passage before the conclusion of the 19th Congress next year.

“Hopefully yes, yes, sapagkat (because) this is a very important bill that ought to be approved,” he said when asked about its timeline.

Lawmakers revealed that in Davao del Sur alone, over 1,200 fraudulent birth certificates had been issued by local civil registrars.

“These foreigners must have gotten aid from public officers from local civil registry offices to secure such falsified birth certificates for consideration,” the bill’s explanatory note stated.

The proposed law would also penalize public officials and private individuals involved in facilitating fraudulent registrations.

HB No.11117 is co-authored by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez and quad-comm co-chairmen Robert Ace Barbers, Dan Fernandez, Abante and Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano.

“A birth certificate is the most basic document a Filipino citizen must have. It is a document that provides the imprimatur of the State that an individual is a Filipino and opens to the individual vast opportunities unavailable to foreigners,” the bill’s authors wrote in their explanatory note.

Legislators argue that fraudulent documents allow foreign nationals to engage in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering, posing a serious threat to national security.

“This sad state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue,” the authors said.

By creating a streamlined administrative process, the bill aims to preserve the integrity of Filipino citizenship and prevent abuses of the system.

“It is time to put an end to these unlawful activities. Being a Filipino is something that we should always honor and zealously protect,” the authors declared.