The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Monday came under fire from senators over speculations of deliberately delaying the endorsement of the cancellation of the birth certificate of mining tycoon Joseph Sy, an alleged Chinese national accused of falsifying his Filipino citizenship.

During the hearing of the Senate committee on justice on the prevalence of fraudulent birth certificates obtained by Chinese nationals in the Philippines, it was learned that the PSA only endorsed the cancellation of Sy’s birth certificate to the Office of Solicitor General (OSG) this month.

Panel chairperson Risa Hontiveros lamented the prolonged delay, asserting that it should have been endorsed to the OSG as early as December last year, citing PSA’s avowal in the previous hearing.

“During the hearing last year, you reported that there were irregularities in the late registration of Joseph Sy’s birth certificate. And you committed to endorsing Mr. Sy’s case to the OSG for the cancellation of his birth certificate. Why did it take almost three months?” Hontiveros pressed the PSA.

“Is there any way you can explain this mysterious delay about such an important case, about a very important person to our country, Mr. Attorney Ambatali?” she continued, referring to Eliezer Ambatali, PSA director of Legal Service.

The OSG is mandated to file a petition to cancel the birth certificate upon receipt of the PSA’s endorsement. 

The Bureau of Immigration identified Sy as Chen Zhong Zhen, who supposedly obtained his Filipino citizenship illegally. He was the chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings Incorporated, but resigned from his post at the height of the scrutiny involving his nationality in December.

Ambatali, in response, claimed that the PSA had just concluded the investigation into Sy’s case in February. He attributed the delay to verification efforts and investigative procedures, adding that they only completed the acquisition of the relevant documents in recent months.

Fraud in late birth cert registration

Citing PSA findings, Ambatali said there are several indications of a possible fraud in Sy’s late birth registration in 2008.

“Number one is the submission of a baptismal certificate, which the parish church told us that they don’t have. Another one is that the affidavit of delayed registration, the notarizer is not a true lawyer,” he said. 

Moreover, the investigation also revealed that there are no civil registry records of Sy’s parents, such as certificates of live birth, marriage, or death. Ambatali averred that this contradicts Sy’s birth certificate, which stipulated that his parents were married in Balanga, Bataan.

Another glaring example, according to Ambatali, was that the “hilot” or traditional birth attendant in Sy’s birth certificate has no civil registry records in the PSA’s database.

“These things, your honors, would lead us to conclude that there are irregularities that would lead to the existence of fraud,” Ambatali told the panel.

The same was observed in the birth certificate of Sy’s son, Johnson Sy, whose birth attendant was unnamed. Johnson also obtained his Filipino citizenship through late registration. 

In response to the alleged abuse of late registration, Senator Raffy Tulfo proposed a temporary moratorium that would allow individuals to register without fines or fees. Late registrants aged 10 and above would be required to appear in court for intense scrutiny. 

He also planned to file a bill that would mandate the PSA to automatically cancel a fraudulent birth certificate, without requiring the OSG, to expedite the process. 

Sy was present at Monday’s hearing, although late, after a brief check-up due to chest pain and spiked blood pressure.

Sy’s case is reminiscent of that of former  Bamban mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, who has been serving her life imprisonment sentence at the Correctional Institution for Women after being found guilty of qualified human trafficking stemming from criminal activities uncovered in an illegal POGO hub in her town.

Most fake birth certificates are logged in Davao

At present, around 1,471 birth certificates were fraudulently obtained by foreign nationals in the Philippines; the majority of them are Chinese, the PSA official said.

Most of the cases were logged in Davao de Oro, while there were also recorded in Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Bulacan, La Union, and Metro Manila, specifically in Pasig, Caloocan and Quezon City. These cases were reportedly referred to the OSG for cancellation in 2024, but no progress has been made to date. 

Sleeper cells possible

Tulfo berated OSG after failing to provide definite answers on the status of the pending petitions, warning that some of them may already have found their way into public service, if not into uniform service, as sleeper cells. 

“Some of the [1,471] individuals may have already obtained various government IDs, others may already be politicians (…) or may already be working in the DND, the PNP, the Coast Guard, who can now spy. We don’t know, right? That’s because of the OSG’s incompetence,” Tulfo asserted. 

Sy was arrested in August 2025 after the BI found that his biometric records matched those of a Chinese national. 

However, a Taguig court ordered Sy’s release from BI’s custody in early September after granting his petition for habeas corpus. The Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in February. 

Hontiveros, in a privilege speech in October last year, averred that her office received information from intelligence sources that Sy is believed to be involved in malign influence and foreign interference or MIFI activities.

MIFI refers to activities conducted by foreign entities that aim to manipulate or disrupt the social, political, or economic landscape of the Philippines.

Before this, she also alleged that Sy had been part of the Philippine Coast Guard’s Auxiliary unit and had been given access to sensitive information concerning national concerns amid heightening tensions between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.