Republic of the Philippines:

PRESS
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Nineteenth Congress S. j
Third Regular Session Wo ive

HousE BILL No, _11117

Introduced by Representatives Aurelio “Dong” D. Gonzales Jr., David “Jay-
Jay” C. Suarez, Robert Ace S. Barbers, Bienvenido M. Abante Jr., Dan S.
Fernandez, Joseph Stephen “Caraps” S. Paduano, Romeo M. Acop, Johnny
Ty Pimentel, Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” R. Luistro, Ramon Rodrigo L.
Gutierrez, Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V, Jefferson F. Khonghun, Jonathan
Keith T. Flores, Raul Angelo "Jil" D. Bongalon, Margarita "Atty. Migs" B.
Nograles, Ernesto M. Dionisio Jr., Joel R. Chua, Ziaur-Rahman “Zia”
Alonto Adiong, Lordan G. Suan and Cheeno Miguel D. Almario

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to provide for an administrative cancellation of birth
certificates fraudulently registered by foreign nationals.

A birth certificate is the most basic document a Filipino citizen must have.
It is a document which provides the imprimatur of the State that an individual is
a Filipino and opens to the individual vast opportunities unavailable to foreigners,
such as practicing a profession, pursuit of certain businesses, or even to run for
public office.

Regrettably, recent events have revealed that there are thousands of
foreigners who were able to fraudulently secure birth certificates. In Davao del
Sur alone, it was reported that around 1,200 falsified birth certificates were issued
by the local civil register in July 2024.

Since then, the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine Statistics
Authority have been consistently urged by Congress to double-down their
investigation on these issuances as it was obvious that these foreigners must have
gotten aid from public officers from local civil registry offices to secure such



falsified birth certificates for consideration.

Unfortunately, even if our government agencies have already accumulated
substantial evidence clearly showing that a foreign national has obtained a birth
certificate through fraudulent means, the cancellation of the birth certificate still
requires a judicial order.

As such, these foreign nationals shall remain innocent until proven guilty
by the courts — a result that will take years before it is attained. It then turns out
that our laws enable these unscrupulous foreign nationals to continue damaging
our businesses by taking away job opportunities from Filipinos, degrading our
society by allowing them to stay in our country while committing crimes
involving illegal drugs, money laundering, human trafficking, among others. This
sad state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue.

Foreign nationals who have been proven to have acquired birth certificates
through fraudulent means should not be given a venue to prolong their stay in the
Philippines, or worse, to legitimize their fraudulent birth certificates and their
Filipino citizenship. The persons responsible for causing or facilitating the
erroneous entries in our civil registers must also be held accountable. Hence, this
bill primarily seeks to provide for an expedited procedure to cancel any birth
certificate fraudulently acquired by any foreign national, after due notice and
hearing, in order to prevent them from inflicting further harm to our society.

It is time to put an end to these unlawful activities. Being a Filipino citizen
should not be so easily acquired or given away by unscrupulous and selfish
individuals who only wish to attain Filipino citizenship to fuel their self-interests.
Being a Filipino is something that we should always honor and zealously protect.

For these reasons, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

“DONG” D. GONZALES, JR.

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ROBER’ \ = >ys <a


BIEN) , IR.

.OMEO M. A¥OP JOSEPH S' ‘ARAPS” S. PADUANO

JONATI '. FLORES JEFFERS¢ [ONGHUN

RAUL story " D. BONGALON veancanrralMeggls, NOGRALES

EBMESTO M. DIONISIO JR.

ZIAUR-RANMAN “ZIA” ALONTO ADIONG

(A


CHEENO . ALMARIO


Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
@uezon City, Metro Manila

Nineteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. _]} 117

Introduced by Representatives Aurelio “Dong” D. Gonzales Jr., David “Jay-
Jay” C. Suarez, Robert Ace S. Barbers, Bienvenido M. Abante Jr., Dan S.
Fernandez, Joseph Stephen “Caraps” S, Paduano, Romeo M. Acop, Johnny
Ty Pimentel, Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” R. Luistro, Ramon Rodrigo L.
Gutierrez, Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V, Jefferson F. Khonghun, Jonathan
Keith T. Flores, Raul Angelo "Jil" D. Bongalon, Margarita "Atty. Migs" B.
Nograles, Ernesto M. Dionisio Jr., Joel R. Chua, Ziaur-Rahman “Zia”
Alonto Adiong, Lordan G. Suan and Cheeno Miguel D. Almario

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE CANCELLATION OF
BIRTH CERTIFICATES REGISTERED THROUGH FRAUDULENT
MEANS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS, CREATING A SPECIAL
COMMITTEE ON CANCELLATION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATES AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Fraudulent
Birth Certificate Cancellation Law”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to promote a
just and dynamic social order. Towards this end, the State shall enact policies to

safeguard and protect the integrity of the most basic information of its people,


especially their birth and nationality.
SEC. 3. Scope. — This Act shall cover the cancellation of birth certificates
registered through fraudulent means by foreign nationals.
SEC. 4. Special Committee on Cancellation of Birth Certificates. — A
Special Committee on Cancellation of Birth Certificates, herein referred to as the
"Committee", is hereby created for cancellation of birth certificates registered
through fraudulent means by a foreign national. The Committee is composed of
the following:
(a) Civil Registrar General of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as
Chairperson; and

(b) Representatives of the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Interior and
Local Government, and Justice with a rank of Undersecretary, and the
Office of the Solicitor General with a rank of Assistant Solicitor
General, as members.

SEC. 5. Committee Secretariat. - The PSA Board Secretariat shall act as
the secretariat of the Committee. The Committee Secretariat shall accept
complaints involving birth certificates registered through fraudulent means by
foreign nationals, assign docket numbers, schedule hearings, and issue notices
thereof.

SEC. 6. Powers and Functions. — The Committee shall have the following
powers and functions:

a) Formulate rules of procedure concerning the investigation, filing and

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1 reception of complaints, conduct of hearings, and appeals involving

2 cancellation of birth certificates registered through fraudulent means by
3 any foreign national;

4 b) Conduct clarificatory hearings and investigations on birth certificates
5 registered through fraudulent means by any foreign national;

6 c) Issue summon, subpoena, and subpoena duces tecum to secure the
7 production of all necessary evidence concerning cases of birth
8 certificates registered through fraudulent means by foreign nationals
9 such as affidavits, records, testimonies, and other pertinent documents;
10 d) Promulgate decisions, after due notice and hearing, concerning
1 complaints of cancellation of birth certificates registered through
12 fraudulent means by any foreign national;

13 e) Recommend to the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice and the
14 Interior and Local Government, the Ombudsman, and other appropriate
1s agencies the filing of deportation, criminal, civil and administrative
16 cases under existing laws against foreign nationals, private individuals
17 and public officers and employees who have participated in the
18 fraudulent registration of birth certificates of a foreign national; and

19 f) Perform such other powers and functions necessary to attain its
20 objectives.
21 SEC. 7. Complaint. — Any person of legal age, including duly authorized

22 representatives of law enforcement agencies, may file with the Committee

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Secretariat, a verified complaint for the administrative cancellation of a birth
certificate registered through fraudulent means by any foreign national. The
complaint shall set forth the following:
a) Name of the foreign national, which shall be sufficient to the extent
that such individual is known by such name;
b) Last known address of the foreign national;
c) Particulars of the fraudulent birth certificate;
d) Specific acts, events, and circumstances which establish the illegal

acquisition of a birth certificate by the foreign national; and

e) Such other proof necessary to establish the illegal acquisition of a birth
certificate by the foreign national.

SEC. 8. Answer. — Within ten (10) days from the filing of the complaint,
the Committee Secretariat shall require the foreign national to submit a verified
answer to the attached complaint within a non-extendible period of fifteen (15)
days from receipt thereof.

SEC. 9. Case Report. — Within thirty (30) days from the submission of the
verified answer of the foreign national, the Committee Secretariat shall submit to
the Committee a report including the case records stating all the pieces of
evidence provided by the parties.

SEC. 10. Clarificatory Hearing. — Upon receipt of the case report, the
Committee may conduct a clarificatory hearing and inquire on any matter to

properly decide the case.



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SEC. 11. Weight of Evidence. - The Committee shall decide on the
complaint based on substantial evidence or the amount of relevant evidence that
a reasonable person would consider adequate to support a conclusion.

SEC. 12. Decision. - The Committee shall evaluate all evidence presented
by the parties, and with a vote of at least two (2) Committee members, shall issue
a decision to cancel the birth certificate of a foreign national which was registered
by fraudulent means within thirty (30) days from receipt of the report from the
Committee Secretariat. The decision of the Committee shall be immediately
executory pending appeal to the Office of the President.

The decision shall likewise recommend whether criminal, civil,
administrative, or deportation proceedings, as the case may be, should be pursued
against the foreign national, any person, public officer, or employee who may
have participated in the illegal acquisition of birth certificate.

SEC. 13. Appeal. — Any person adversely affected by a decision of the
Committee may file an appeal with the Office of the President within fifteen (15)
days from receipt thereof. The Office of the President shall decide on the appeal
within thirty (30) days from the filing of the appeal.

SEC. 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation
of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the
Philippine Statistics Authority. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for
the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General

Appropriations Act.


SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days
from the approval of this Act, the Committee shall promulgate the pertinent rules
and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. ~ If any provision or part of this Act is
declared unconstitutional, the remaining parts provisions not affected shall
remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. — All laws, ordinances, orders, rules,
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this
Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 18. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days after

its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,