Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito on Thursday warned that shady foreign nationals have been assuming the identities of dead Filipinos to get government-issued identification cards.

Ejercito urged the police during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to crack down on the criminal activities of foreigners in the country, including those employed by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.

"PNP, please take note of that. We will confirm but I know it has been happening," the senator said. "There are many foreign nationals, particularly mainland Chinese who have entered the country."

"(They) are using the identities of dead persons so that they can avail of our rights and be considered as Filipino citizens," he said.

Immigration deputy commissioner Fortunato Manahan Jr. confirmed that they have deported a number of foreign nationals for using fraudulent passports, birth certificates, and marriage certificates.

"There were cases and incidents that we have intercepted in airports and in communities. We have deported them," Manahan said.

Senator Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa, chair of the Senate panel, said that the police will be able to determine whether an individual is a true Filipino if he or she can sing "Lupang Hinirang," the Philippine national anthem.

"If he or she can sing 'Bayang Magiliw' (Lupang Hinirang) — the national anthem — he or she is a true Filipino but if not, he or she is holding a fake document," he added.

Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe called on authorities to immediately look into the alleged trafficking of persons carried out by syndicates that organize foreign tours to lure their victims.

Poe said tight coordination among the police and concerned government agencies is needed amid the spate of kidnappings, including those linked to the exploitation of women.

"What has been happening is that tourists who are coming here are being abducted and sold to a syndicate. When the syndicate recovered the amount they spent for these tourists, that is the time they will release them," she said.

"It is a big challenge to our authorities that is why they really need to coordinate and start with their investigation," she added.

Poe also urged the PNP to work with organizations such as the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry which recently sought the government's help following the 56 kidnapping cases in 10 days that were reported to the group.

She said the PNP Directorate for Legislative and Detective Management also released its data showing a total of 8,525 index crimes happening from January to March this year, and another 8,469 crimes from June to August 2022.

"Given this data, I'd like to point out that it still means an average of 15 murder and homicides, 14 rape cases, and 14 robberies occurring every day. These are reported. Is this a normal situation?" the lady senator asked.

"This puts to question what the PNP has been saying in the past few days that there's no crime hike, just hype," she added.