Davao civil registrar faces raps over fake birth certificates

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed 66 counts of falsification of public documents, graft and corruption, perjury and violations of the Registry of Civil Status against four employees of the Sta. Cruz municipal civil registrar in Davao del Sur for allegedly issuing fake birth certificates to Chinese nationals.

Archie Albao, NBI-Davao chief, told The STAR on Thursday that charges were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao against former municipal civil registrar Mario Tizon and three other employees who were responsible for signing the fraudulent documents.

Albao said NBI investigation revealed that at least 1,576 fake birth certificates were issued through late registration from 2016 to 2023. 

Investigators continue backtracking on the records and may uncover more cases, he said.

Aside from the four, the NBI also filed charges against seven Chinese who registered their addresses in Sta. Cruz “even if their real addresses are in Metro Manila and the Visayas.”

NBI investigation also showed that there are local government units involved in issuing fake birth certificates, Albao said.

He refused to identify the LGUS as investigation continues.

The registration of fake birth certificates was uncovered in July 2024 following the controversy involving Alice Guo, who is accused of using late birth registration to obtain Philippine citizenship and allow her to run for mayor of Bamban, Tarlac in the 2022 elections.