The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has discovered that nearly 15 million late birth registrations were submitted between 2010 and 2024, raising concerns about the integrity of the nation’s civil registry system.
The issue came to light during the Senate hearing on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill on Thursday.
Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned the PSA’s auditing practices, specifically asking whether the agency had conducted internal reviews to identify fraudulent birth certificates, particularly in light of reports alleging abuse in late registration process.
“Sa mga hearings na ginagawa natin kay Guo Hua Ping, lumabas ang abusong ginagawa sa late registration para makakuha ng pekeng Filipino citizenship ang mga dayuhang may masamang balak dito. Nag-conduct ba ng internal audit ang PSA sa mga pekeng birth certificate?” Hontiveros asked.
In response, Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, confirmed that the PSA was reviewing the 14.89 million late registrations for authenticity. She also highlighted that the agency was already auditing over 50,000 birth certificates for signs of falsification and other irregularities.
Poe noted that the PSA had flagged and blocked 1,627 suspicious birth certificates tied to foreign nationals. Out of these, 18 cases have been referred to the Office of the Solicitor General for official cancellation.
The senator emphasized that individuals involved in the creation or facilitation of fraudulent birth certificates would face accountability.
“The names of government employees were already forwarded to the mayor of that town, but alongside with it simultaneously, there’s also an investigation by the NBI,” Poe said.
The PSA’s ongoing audit efforts aim to restore public confidence in the integrity of the civil registry system. As part of its reforms, the agency now mandates the submission of photo and biometric data with birth registrations to enhance identity verification and ensure alignment with the national ID system.
