TACLOBAN CITY– The Philippine Statistics Authority–Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA-RSSO 8) has implemented stricter compliance measures for late birth registration for foreign residents.
In a recent ‘Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas,’ Wilma A. Perante, PSA-8 Regional Director, announced the following additional mandatory requirements:
Philippine National ID
Barangay certification
Passport
Parents’ live birth certificates
Personal appearance
Perante also highlighted the significance of verifying records to prevent fraud, counterfeiting, and stolen identity, which is now required under Memorandum Circular No. 2024-17, issued on June 4.
“The local civil registers are conducting this to ensure the authenticity and correctness of the information and the documents presented to them,” she said.
This was in response to recent high-profile cases, such as the Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, whose true identity was later revealed as ‘Guo Hua Ping.’
In Guo’s birth certificate, details of her parents’ marriage, her father’s nationality, and her mother’s identity were mismatched with her claims upon questioning.
A certain National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance containing the same name, province, and birthday as Guo, but with a different face in the photo, was also found.
The investigation then focused on identifying Guo Hua Ping’s fingerprints, which matched those of Guo.
“This is why national IDs must be considered mandatory requirements; the iris and biometric information are accessible there,” she said.
Biometric information is used to accurately identify individuals through fingerprint scans, facial recognition, voice recognition, and iris scans.
According to Perante, in case of errors in birth records or other legal documents, it is advisable to visit the local civil register where they were issued to prevent additional complications. (AAC/JKPA, PIA Leyte)
