Senator Win Gatchalian called for stronger powers for the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and for stiffer penalties against civil registrars who facilitate fraudulent birth registrations amid the alarming rise in fake birth certificates.
Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 2914 that will grant more power to the PSA and establish a comprehensive, responsive civil registration and vital statistics system, which will repeal the Philippine Law on Registry of Civil Status enacted 94 years ago.
“The law needs to be updated and make it more relevant today, as penalties for violations are currently too minimal and outdated,” he said, noting that the bill will include provisions on delayed registration and other updates necessary to improve the system and deter misuse of outdated practices.
“Kailangang gawin ito dahil kung hindi natin ito gagawin, maraming may pekeng birth certificate ang pwede pa ring ma-issue at ang mga taong meron nito ay pwedeng makabili ng lupa, magtayo ng negosyo, at tumakbo sa politika kagaya ng ginawa ni Alice Guo,” Gatchalian said.
The senator is considering increasing the penalty for knowingly making false statements in relation to civil registration. Currently, knowingly making false statements is penalized only with imprisonment of 1 to 6 months or a fine of P200 to P500 or both.
The proliferation of fake birth certificates came to light following Gatchalian’s discovery that the birth certificate of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was obtained fraudulently.
To date, the PSA has blocked 1,627 suspicious birth certificates linked to foreign nationals, 18 of which have been endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation, Gatchalian said. In addition, the PSA is auditing 50,532 birth certificates for signs of falsification and irregularities.
Meanwhile, around 3.7 million Filipinos, or 3.4% of total population have been estimated to be without birth certificates mostly from marginalized communities. Adding to the problem of non-registration, about 14.9 million late birth registrations were submitted between 2010 and 2024.
“Kailangan nating balansehin dahil kung sobrang higpit, mahihirapan ‘yung mga kababayan nating nakatira sa malalayong lugar pero kung sobrang dali namang makakuha ng birth certificate ay makakalusot ang mga gustong mang-abuso,” he ended.
