NBI flags foreigners getting PH birth certificates through late registration

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Friday flagged the acquisition of Filipino birth certificates by thousands of foreign nationals through late registration, mostly Chinese, during a Senate hearing.

Matibag raised the issue following recent raids on Chinese-owned steel plants over alleged irregularities, Philippine Sanjia Steel Corporation in Misamis Oriental, linked to Tony Yang—brother of former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang—and the Chinese-owned steel plant in Pampanga that supposedly manufactured substandard steel products.

During the Senate committee on economic affairs hearing, Matibag cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) records showing that over 50,000 individuals had obtained birth certificates through late registration.

“Yung PSA po nag-audit sila, noon na-audit nila, there were about like two or seven million who availed of late registration,” Matibag said, noting that the registration mostly took place in two municipalities in Mindanao.

(The PSA conducted an audit; when they audited, there were about two or seven million who availed of late registration.)

“When that audit was done, there were about 5,000 foreign nationals, and the majority of them are Chinese who availed of that registration na naging Pilipino na,” he added.

(When that audit was done, there were about 5,000 foreign nationals, and the majority of them are Chinese who availed of that registration that has become Filipino.)

With this, the NBI Director appealed to the Senate and House of Representatives to look into the Late Registration Law, which he called already “obsolete.”

“Kasi ang nangyayari po rito, nakakalat-kalat siya eh, kahit saan civil registry ka, nagkakapag-rehistro ka. So wala pong enough guards para ma-check po ito,” said Matibag. 

(Because what’s happening here is that it’s scattered everywhere, no matter where you go to the civil registry, you’re registering. So there aren’t enough guards to check it.)

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of the economic affairs committee, in response, affirmed that lawmakers would revisit the law, which was passed in 1930. /dp