Sen. Win Gatchalian presides over a Senate hearing, July 6, 2023. Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB/File  

MANILA – Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday filed a resolution seeking to investigate fake birth certificates and late birth registration in light of the discovery of alleged irregularities in the birth certificates of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, her alleged siblings and mother. 

Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution 1053 directing the Senate to investigate the supposed “proliferation of fake birth certificates and the abuse of the current late birth registration system”. 

Guo is being linked to the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga. According to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), she is allegedly part of the criminal syndicate operating in the two areas – which she has denied. 

A separate Senate investigation has delved into Guo’s citizenship, with Gatchalian saying that he believes the mayor is a Chinese citizen. 

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Amelia Leal’s birth certificate is non-existent. Leal is the supposed Filipino mother of Guo. 

Gatchalian previously said Guo’s mother is Wen Yi Lin, a Chinese national who is supposedly the romantic partner and business partner of Guo’s father. 

The mayor has maintained that she is a Filipino. 

[EXCLUSIVE] Guo denies being a Chinese spy: 'I am a Filipino, I love my country'

Mayor Alice Guo insists she is not Hua Ping Guo

Gatchalian cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data that at least 308 fake birth certificates were used to apply for Philippine passports from January to September 2023, six of which are foreign nationals who actually received Philippine passports. 

PSA is investigating 300 incidents of fake birth certificates involving Filipinos and 65 cases involving foreigners. 

Citing information from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Gatchalian noted that some foreigners posed as Filipinos “by presenting authentic and genuine PSA-issued birth certificates, along with government-issued ID”. 

Late birth registration common among Filipinos: PSA

Meanwhile, some 127,919 births were registered after the 30-day period for registration, according to Gatchalian’s resolution that  cited 2022 PSA data. 

“Syndicates may be behind the proliferation of fake birth certificates as well as the apparent abuse of the late birth registration system,” Gatchalian said in a statement. 

The senator said he hoped to craft a legislation or policy recommendation through the inquiry.