Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (PPAB)

Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong clarified Monday night, March 24 that those charged on the alleged issuance of fake birth certificates to Chinese nationals involved four employees from the municipal civil registrar of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, and not Davao City.

This was in reference to Adiong’s earlier statement over the weekend, wherein the Davao City Civil Registrar’s Office was erroneously mentioned.

"The Davao City Civil Registrar's Office has no jurisdiction over birth registrations processed by local civil registrars in cities and municipalities outside of Davao City, including those in Davao del Sur," the local government of Davao City said in a statement Monday afternoon.

Adiong, an assistant majority leader, had expressed worries that this modus operandi could be part of a broader scheme that must be investigated on a nationwide scale. 

"We should look for similar operations in other parts of the country, especially during the Duterte administration when Chinese influence grew unchecked,” Adiong said in a statement Sunday, March 23.

“While this is a good first step, we must not stop with just one office. This kind of syndicate work could not have thrived without a broader network," he said.

The forged documents were used to secure passports, which could then be used by foreigners to work in the country legally.

“Any Filipino who helps a foreign national – especially someone from a country aggressively encroaching on our territory – commit fraud should be ashamed of themselves. This isn’t just a case of corruption. This is treasonous behavior,” Adiong said.