The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) should exhaust all means at helping Filipinos who are not yet registered in the civil registry acquire their birth certificates.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said at the very least, the PSA should adopt a proactive, community-based approach in handling such matters to curb counterfeit birth documents following the discovery of fake birth registrations of foreigners involved in criminal activities.

“It shouldn’t be just some ministerial job that the PSA would just accept applications. If an applicant is from a province, it is really hard to get a document,” Gatchalian noted during a recent Senate hearing conducted by the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Senate Bill No. 2914 or the proposed Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Act.

Gatchalian earlier filed SB 2914 to overhaul the country’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system in a bid to eliminate fake government documents and to thwart foreigners from abusing the system.

The city government of Valenzuela, he pointed out, has implemented a similar approach after noting that some of those employed in factories operating in the city lack birth certificates, preventing them from making public and financial transactions.

The city government in response deployed dedicated personnel to assist individuals in completing the requirements for late registration.

The assistance program helped applicants fulfill the necessary steps, including obtaining affidavits from two disinterested persons and securing a statement from the traditional midwife or "hilot" who attended their birth.

The senator said it is imperative for the PSA to strike a balance between assisting those who are not yet included in the civil registry and preventing unscrupulous individuals or groups from securing fraudulent birth certificates.

He cited the case of Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, also known as the dismissed Bamban Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who he said, took advantage of the PSA’s late registration program.

This proactive framework offers a path to improved accessibility and inclusivity, empowering citizens to fully participate in economic and legal systems by resolving barriers to civil registration, the lawmaker said.

“Hindi naman sila maglalakas-loob kung wala silang kausap na sindikato sa loob (They wouldn’t have the courage to do so if they had no contact inside acting as a syndicate),” he said.

“The problem is due to corrupt civil registrar or civil registry employees,” he pointed out.