Probe sought on possible ‘collusion’ behind granting of Philippine passports to Chinese nationals

MANILA, Philippines — A senator has called for an investigation into how some Chinese nationals were able to illegally acquire Philippine passports using authentic and government-issued documents.

During the Senate’s deliberations of the proposed 2024 budget, Sen. Loren Legarda raised the possibility of a “collusion” of personnel among different government agencies — including the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) — to provide Chinese nationals with authentic Philippine birth certificates for their passport applications.

This came after Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa asked Legarda, who sponsored the DFA’s budget and was answering on their behalf, if she knew of recent incidents when the Bureau of Immigration caught foreign nationals using genuine Philippine passports but who do not speak or look Filipino. 

Legarda then read out a statement by the DFA confirming that it is now investigating the incidents for the possible filing of criminal charges against the foreign nationals “(posing) as Filipinos by assuming Filipino identities through the presentation of authentic and genuine PSA birth certificates and valid government-issued cards.”

According to the DFA, some of the foreign nationals pretend to be persons with disabilities (PWD) by presenting “authentic” PWD IDs, which allow them to be “escorted by their immediate family members and relatives during the passport application form,” Legarda said.

The DFA added that it is coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and that “these agencies must look into themselves if part of the syndicates are in these agencies as well, (including) the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the PSA.”

Legarda said that she was “not happy” with the DFA’s statement but acknowledged that “it may not just be the DFA” that is involved with the issuance of documents to Chinese nationals.

“It may not just be the DFA. because if they were able to secure an authentic document like the birth certificate, then it means there are possible sources in certain areas in the country,” Legarda said.

“My question to the DFA — who is the head of the passport