Zubiri seeks probe of foreigners who obtained PH passports

SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri urged the national security agencies to investigate reports that foreigners were able to obtain Philippine passports using valid documents.

The senator made the appeal on Monday, when the Senate debated on the proposed budget of the National Intelligence Coordinating Council (NICA) and the National Security Council.

«We would like also your assistance, gentlemen and ladies of NICA and NSA, to look into this. There are national security implications to this,» Zubiri said.

The senator was alarmed by reports that some foreigners were able to obtain valid Philippine passports, national IDs (identification cards) and licenses.

«We were shown how easy it was for foreigners to be able to get birth certificates, official PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) documents, and therefore being able to get real passports as well as real driver's licenses and national IDs,» he said.

«So, we have to look into that because I think there's a security concern on that,» Zubiri said.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, who sponsored the budgets of the two agencies, told Zubiri that both agencies «are in complete agreement» with his concern.

Zubiri is worried that these undesirable foreigners in possession of valid Philippine documents may be part of «not only sleeper's cell but also criminal syndicates.»

«We've seen kidnap for ransom, extortion, sex trafficking being done by foreigners using our legal documents. It's unheard of in other countries,» he said.

«That's why I hope that the investigation will be done very quickly after the budget hearings, and we will come up with a law,» he added.

Zubiri suggested that a measure be crafted increasing the fines, penalties and jail terms for government agencies giving legal documents to «unscrupulous individuals.»