MANILA — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has cooperated with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after the latter reported that 200 Chinese nationals obtained falsified birth certificates in Davao del Sur.

In a statement on Sunday, the PSA said that they have "done verification and provided necessary information related to the birth records under investigation to the NBI," while the civil registrar linked to the issue has been relieved from his post.

"The PSA emphasizes that the registered birth records emanated from the Local Civil Registry Office of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur," the agency said.

"As of this writing, we received a report that the concerned Civil Registrar was already relieved by the Local Chief Executive from his duties in line with the PSA’s recommendation to look into the matter as a result of the fact-finding investigation conducted by the agency in a similar incident last year," they added.

The PSA assured the public that they are taking action over the said matter and urged the public to report any activities involving falsification of documents.

A Chinese national who was trying to apply for a Philippine passport using a fake birth certificate was apprehended last Tuesday.

READ: Chinese national with fake birth certificate caught applying for PH passport in Davao City

Hengson Lemosnero, originally identified by the National Bureau of Investigation in the Southeastern Mindanao Region (NBI-SEMRO) as Hanlin Qiu, was apprehended at the Department of Foreign Affairs office in Ecoland, Davao City.

He is one of the 200 Chinese nationals who acquired falsified birth certificates from the municipal civil registry of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

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