THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Region XI said the number of suspicious late-registered birth certificates discovered in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, has now surpassed 1,500.
In an interview on Friday, Aug. 2, NBI XI regional director Arcelito Albao disclosed that the figure escalated after the Sta. Cruz Local Civil Registrar submitted additional documents for review.
“From 200, it increased to 1,200, and now it’s over 1,500. These registrations span from 2014 to 2023,” Albao stated.
“A fact-finding investigation by the Sta. Cruz local government has already yielded results, and we will be presenting our findings to the Senate on Monday,” he added.
The investigation uncovered that 56 to 58 birth certificates lacked supporting documents and were allegedly manipulated by the Local Civil Registrar Officer.
While the certificates themselves are authentic, the information contained within is suspected to be fabricated.
Albao emphasized, “Our goal is to cancel these birth certificates once we have sufficient evidence.”
The NBI’s ongoing investigation has identified approximately 1,200 birth certificates linked to non-existent individuals with fabricated information.
The agency is actively pursuing fixers, some believed to be based in Manila, and the investigation has expanded beyond Davao del Sur to include Pampanga.
The NBI estimates that each foreign national involved in this scheme paid around P300,000 to secure a falsified birth certificate.
Many of these certificates bear Filipino names, but the individuals are often revealed to be Chinese nationals.
Locating them has been challenging due to the lack of accurate addresses on the documents.
Albao expressed concern that similar schemes may be operating elsewhere in the country and urged law enforcement agencies and local government units to thoroughly scrutinize their civil registrars.
He emphasized that this scheme poses a serious threat to national security, as individuals with fake birth certificates could potentially gain Filipino citizenship, purchase property, and obtain identification documents for illicit activities.
While no high-ranking officials have been directly implicated, the NBI is focusing its investigation on those who signed the birth certificates, given the significant financial transactions involved.
The agency is also expanding its investigation to other local civil registrars in various regions.
File Photo: Bing Gonzales
