Foreign nationals attempting to illegally obtain Filipino identities are paying as much as P5 million per birth certificate, according to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag.
In a television interview on Thursday, Melvin Matibag revealed that the scheme involves massive payments for large-scale operations of syndicates engaged in facilitating fraudulent civil registry documents.
“They’re paying P5 million,” Matibag said in vernacular.
He noted that the transactions were uncovered through ongoing investigations and past reports tied to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
Mating said organized groups are profiting heavily from the illegal activity, often using local contacts to process falsified birth certificates, particularly for Chinese nationals seeking Filipino identities.
Despite the millions involved, Matibag said some government personnel implicated in the scheme receive only minimal compensation.
“Those we charged were only given meal money, with cash ranging from P300 to P3,000,” he said, adding that syndicates pocket the bulk of the earnings.
The NBI has already filed complaints against several civil registry officials and private individuals allegedly involved in issuing fraudulent birth certificates through questionable late registration processes.
He then warned that the scheme allows foreign nationals to assume Filipino civil status under false identities, raising serious concerns over governance and national security.
Matibag said the illegal acquisition of such documents could have far-reaching implications, including possible impacts on electoral processes.
Crackdown syndicates
Amid these concerns, the NBI is proposing legislative reforms to tighten safeguards against abuses in late birth registration and the fraudulent acquisition of Philippine citizenship.
Matibag said the bureau’s legal and legislative liaison units are drafting a proposed bill to strengthen documentation requirements and centralize the processing of late birth registrations.
He added that stricter controls and centralized processing could reduce opportunities for fraud.
“We will tighten it further and make the process more efficient,” he said.
The proposal has yet to be formally discussed with congressional leaders, although Matibag said he has raised the idea with a member of the House of Representatives as a possible sponsor.
He emphasized that the initiative is largely driven by national security concerns, citing cases of foreign nationals allegedly obtaining Philippine birth certificates for a fee and later securing legal identity documents.
The NBI chief also floated the creation of an inter-agency task force involving the Philippine Statistics Authority, Bureau of Immigration, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and other law enforcement bodies.
Republic Act No. 3753, or the Civil Registry Law, enacted in 1930, currently governs the registration of births, deaths, and marriages in the Philippines, including provisions for late registration under regulated conditions.
Matibag said investigations are ongoing to identify additional individuals involved and determine the full extent of the operation.