ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Hontiveros questions PSA over delay in endorsing Joseph Sy's birth certificate cancellation

Hontiveros questions PSA over delay in endorsing Joseph Sy's birth certificate cancellation

Published Mar 9, 2026 02:12 pm
Senator Risa Hontiveros, on Monday, March 9, questioned the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) over what she described as a “mysterious delay” in endorsing to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) the cancellation of businessman Joseph Sy’s birth certificate despite earlier findings of irregularities.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, during the public hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Monday, March 9, 2026, slams the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for allegedly delaying an endorsement of the cancellation of the birth certificate of Joseph Sy, a Chinese national identified as Chen Zhong Zhen or Shi Zhenzong by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). (Senate PRIB photo)
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, during the public hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Monday, March 9, 2026, slams the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for allegedly delaying an endorsement of the cancellation of the birth certificate of Joseph Sy, a Chinese national identified as Chen Zhong Zhen or Shi Zhenzong by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). (Senate PRIB photo)
During a Senate hearing, PSA Director for Legal Services Eliezer Ambatali acknowledged a delay in formally endorsing the case to the OSG, saying the PSA needed to complete supporting documents for the recommendation.
Hontiveros noted that the PSA had already told the committee under oath in December that Sy’s late birth registration contained irregularities and that it would recommend the cancellation of the document.
“So why did it take three months, a quarter of a year?” the senator asked.
Ambatali said investigations of suspected fraudulent civil registry documents require verification with local civil registry offices and other institutions, including checking documents such as baptismal certificates directly with the issuing parish.
“We want to make sure that all the documents to be submitted attached to the letter of endorsement are already there,” Ambatali said, while acknowledging that the endorsement to the OSG was only completed in early March.
Hontiveros questioned the explanation, saying the PSA had already concluded there were irregularities before appearing before the committee and had committed to recommending cancellation.
“You already made the finding and recommendation. The documents are only substantiation,” she said, adding that the delay could hinder the OSG’s ability to act.
The senator also pointed out that the PSA only sent its endorsement to the OSG on March 2, days after the committee followed up with the agency on February 26.
“So it’s a good thing the committee followed up last month, otherwise you might not have endorsed it yet,” she said.
Ambatali confirmed that the PSA’s investigation found several indicators suggesting possible fraud in Sy’s late birth registration.
Among these were a baptismal certificate submitted during the registration process that the parish supposedly issued, which could not be verified, and an Affidavit of Delayed Registration notarized by a lawyer whose identity could not be confirmed.
He also said investigators found no civil registry records for Sy’s parents, including birth, marriage, or death certificates, despite entries in Sy’s certificate of live birth stating that his parents were married in Balanga, Bataan.
In addition, the “hilot” or traditional birth attendant listed in the document also had no corresponding civil registry records, Ambatali said.
“These would lead us to conclude that there were irregularities that could indicate fraud,” he told the panel.
Hontiveros also asked about the birth records of Sy’s son, Johnson Sy, with Ambatali saying that the birth certificate also listed an “unknown” hilot and was similarly registered late.
During the hearing, Ambatali disclosed that the PSA has so far identified around 1,640 cases of fraudulently obtained birth certificates nationwide.
He said many of the cases were concentrated in Davao de Oro, with additional cases recorded in Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Bulacan, La Union, and parts of Metro Manila, including Caloocan, Pasig, and Quezon City.
Ambatali added that while most cases under investigation involve Chinese nationals, the PSA has also encountered some involving Vietnamese nationals.
Hontiveros warned that delays in acting on fraudulent civil registry cases could create opportunities for individuals to exploit loopholes in the system.
“PSA should not allow people hiding behind our laws to learn how to escape accountability,” she said.

Related Tags

Risa Hontiveros Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) solicitor general Bureau of Immigration (BI)
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.