Senator Win Gatchalian is pushing for reforms in the country’s civil registration system to prevent foreign nationals from fraudulently acquiring Philippine citizenship — a move prompted by the case of former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo.

Gatchalian filed the Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Act, which seeks to modernize and streamline the country’s registration processes to accurately establish a person’s legal identity.

“Gusto natin ng bagong CRVS system para wala nang sumulpot na isa na namang Alice Guo, ‘yung nagpapanggap na Pilipino at gustong makapasok sa gobyerno para manloko,” Gatchalian said, citing a recent court ruling that affirmed Guo’s Chinese nationality.

Under the proposed measure, higher penalties will be imposed for forging civil registry documents, submitting false information, and facilitating fraudulent registrations.

The senator cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing that, as of November 2024, the agency had blocked 1,627 suspicious birth certificates linked to foreign nationals. Eighteen of these cases have been endorsed to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation.

Gatchalian said the measure would help uphold the integrity of the country’s identity and citizenship systems, especially in light of increasing attempts by foreigners to infiltrate government institutions under false identities.