PSA approves SolGen’s cancellation of Guo’s birth certificate

By: Charie Abarca – 37 minutes ago

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recommended that the Office of the Solicitor General cancel the suspended birth certificate of Mayor Alice Guo.

“We have already supported the Office of the Solicitor General for the cancellation of the (Certificate of Live Birth) COLB,” said Marizza Grande, deputy national statistician for PSA Vital Statistics.

“The PSA does not have the power to automatically cancel the irregular registration process,” she noted.

(The PSA does not have the power to automatically cancel even if we find an irregular process in the registration.)

Grande made the remarks during a Senate Committee on Women hearing on the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in the country.

She also admitted that PSA found the late registration of Guo’s birth irregular.

“Confirm any birth certificate of nyo na yung, nakuha fraudulently or irregularly, considering halos walang attachments until I submit, but with negative certificate from NSO (National Statistics Office)” , said Senator Risa Hontiveros.

(You have confirmed that his birth certificate was obtained fraudulently or irregularly, given that there were almost no attachments when submitting it, except for a negative certificate from NSO.)

Hontiveros presided over the hearing as committee chairman.

“Tapos, parang gaya nung nalaman namin nung from the previous hearings, parang mali-mali pa yung information on the marital status of the magulang,” the senator observed.

(Also, as we have found in previous hearings, the information provided was mostly incorrect.)

Floating identity

What will happen if Guo’s birth certificate is cancelled?

According to Grande, the identity of the embattled local official will be considered “floating.”

“Technically, the identity of Naka-float(ang) Kanyang because she is a government official and a yung paginated Filipino citizen is (questioned),” Grande explained.

(Technically, her identity is “floating” because she is a government official and her Philippine citizenship is in question.)

Guo’s birth certificate came under scrutiny after senators reported “irregularities” found on the document.

READ: Guo’s so-called ‘mother’ may not exist at all, says PSA official

This is not a unique case.

To prove the need to reform the country’s birth certificate system, Senator Win Gatchalian previously highlighted that there were more than 60 cases filed at the PSA regarding fake birth certificates issued to foreigners.

“So these are isolated cases. I need to update the birth certificate,” he said then.

(So ​​this is not an isolated case. The process of obtaining birth certificates is really abused.)