Some senators on Friday, January 3, welcomed the government's plan to cancel all birth certificates illegally acquired by foreigners in the country.
Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Joel Villanueva lauded the move of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) which made the promise following the total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Gatchalian noted that the Senate’s investigation on POGOs revealed critical weaknesses in government processes particularly the acquisition of birth certificates through the late registration process.
“This weakness enabled foreigners to become instant Filipinos without going through the naturalization process which in turn enabled them to buy properties and even startup businesses,” Gatchalian said in a statement.
“I agree that these fraudulent birth certificates should immediately be tracked down and cancelled so that these criminals will no longer have a basis to stay in the country,” he said.
Villanueva also lauded the OSG for not only launching a purge on birth records but also the government’s promise to seize all POGO-related assets.
“This is a welcome development, especially now that POGO operations have officially ended per Executive Order (EO) 74 issued by the President,” Villanueva said.
“We hope that this does not stop with those already identified but should expand proactively, in coordination with other relevant agencies such as the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to cancel fraudulent birth certificates.
Villanueva said the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has exposed the magnitude and extent of the problem of foreign nationals illegally acquiring Philippine citizenship, passports, and government identification cards.
With this, Villanueva said Senate Bill 2868, or the proposed Anti-POGO Act, must be approved into law as soon as possible.
“Senate Bill 2868, which we authored and co-sponsored in the Senate, authorizes the forfeiture of all POGO assets, such as buildings and other structures or facilities, in favor of the government, and these may be disposed of in accordance with existing laws, rules, and regulations,” he said.