Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez (House of Representatives’ Facebook)

Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez flagged the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) service provider Unisys Managed Services Corp. and its partner Chinese technology company Lenovo for allegedly manipulating data to facilitate an easier process for Chinese nationals to obtain Philippine passports.

Fernandez issued this statement on Wednesday, June 19, during the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs’ continued hearing on supposed links of Chinese nationals posing as Filipinos to a million-peso drug bust in Mexico, Pampanga last year.

According to the Laguna lawmaker, the personal information provided by foreigners, particularly the Chinese, to PSA’s system managed by Unisys was being “accessed directly”.

“Kaya nga noong nakaraang hearing tayo, nagtataka tayo bakit sa LCR (Local Civil Registry), wala naman silang finorward sa PSA, pero ang PSA nakapag-issue [the birth certificate]. So, in other words, sa lebel pa lang ng PSA, nakikita natin na nama-manipulate,” Fernandez told panel chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.

(That's why during our last hearing, we were wondering why in the LCR, they didn't forward anything to the PSA, but the PSA was able to issue [the birth certificate]. So, in other words, at the PSA level, we see that it is already being manipulated.)

Given that these foreigners are seeking to obtain Philippine passports, an authenticated birth certificate from the PSA is a necessary requirement for their application.

“Thereby, nagiging Pilipino na sila, pag Pilipino na sila, nakakabili na sila ng property. Yun po ang nangyari. Iyan ang katotohanan eh. Napa-ikot tayo,” noted Fernandez.

(Thereby, they become Filipinos, when they become Filipinos, they can buy property. That's what happened. That's the truth. We were fooled.)

The Laguna solon is referring to the 291 “titled” land acquisitions in Metro Manila and Central Luzon by a suspected Chinese drug lord that is known by the name of Willie Ong, alongside his realty firm and associates.

READ THIS:
Alleged drug lord Willie Ong, associates own 291 lands in NCR, Central Luzon—Barbers

In 2016, the PSA and Unisys entered into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that aimed to modernize the civil registry system and manage the end-to-end process in the issuance of related documents.

For Fernandez, there is a huge problem with this contract because PSA failed to undergo due diligence before accepting Unisys’ terms.

Citing a 2007 article from news website Wired, the congressman noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States (US) investigated Unisys for its alleged cyber security lapses under the company's contract with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

These security lapses include an incident where data from the DHS was transmitted to Chinese servers.

“150 computers, according to FBI, were transferred to the Chinese government. All the datas of the Department of Homeland Security. Are you not aware of this?” he stressed.

Fernandez said Unisys was accused of criminal fraud, with its case discussed in a hearing in the US Congress.

“So kung Department of Homeland Security, ang kanilang mga data ay nanakaw ng Chinese government, what more ang Philippine government?” he asked.

(So if the Department of Homeland Security, got their data stolen by the Chinese government, what more is the Philippine government?)

He warns that if the PSA continues to utilize Lenovo for its infrastructure, hardware, and software then it would be possible that the Philippines will suffer the same fate as the DHS——with its data severely compromised.

Fernandez pointed out that Lenovo, as one of the partners of Unisys, was owned by Chinese businessmen and was established in Beijing.

“Mr. Chairman, all our data. Hindi na tayo makakapag-complain. Nasa kanila na lahat (We can't complain anymore. They have it all)," he said.