Senator Win Gatchalian is moving to tighten the country’s civil registration system to prevent foreigners from fraudulently acquiring Filipino identities—a scheme highlighted in the controversial case of Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping.

“We want a new CRVS system so we don’t have another Alice Guo—someone pretending to be Filipino just to gain access to government and deceive the public,” Gatchalian said, referring to the former Bamban, Tarlac mayor who was recently ruled by the court to be “undoubtedly Chinese.”

Under Gatchalian’s proposed Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Act, the country’s civil registry will undergo a comprehensive overhaul aimed at verifying identities more accurately and preventing abuse of birth registration.

The measure includes stricter penalties for forging registry documents, submitting false data, or facilitating fraudulent registrations. It also seeks to modernize the system, ensuring accurate and secure identity records for both legal and administrative purposes.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has flagged 1,627 suspicious birth certificates tied to foreign nationals as of November 2024, with 18 already endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation.

“This legislation is about restoring integrity in our civil registry and closing the loopholes exploited by individuals trying to circumvent our laws,” Gatchalian emphasized.