Is PH citizenship for sale? Senate blue ribbon asks

Sen. Pia Cayetano presides over the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing to shed light on reports of unauthorized proliferation and use of government documents by foreign nationals. (BIBO NUEVA ESPAÑA/SENATE PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate blue ribbon panel on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the alleged issuance of a legitimate Philippine passport to a Vietnamese national, prompting a lawmaker to ask: Is Philippine citizenship for sale?

Senator Pia Cayetano, head of the panel, revealed the irregularity. She then identified the Vietnamese official as a certain “Nguyen.”

“This foreigner is using a duly issued Philippine passport. A Vietnamese national. So this Vietnamese national was recently deported by the Bureau of Immigration after being discovered in possession of a fraudulently obtained Philippine passport,” said Cayetano during her panel’s investigation on unauthorized proliferation and use of government documents by foreign nationals.

Duly issued by the DFA

“The Philippine passport bore a name alongside her photo, which was different when compared to her Vietnamese passport. The questioned document, however, was found to be genuine and duly issued by the [Department of Foreign Affairs],” she added.

It was not the first time, however, that a legitimate Philippine passport was issued to a foreigner.

Earlier, senators likewise expressed concern over the alleged issuance of valid Philippine passports to Chinese nationals, calling it a national security issue.

READ: Alarm sounded on issuance of PH passport to Chinese nationals

Previous reports also claim that foreigners are paying P500,000 to obtain Philippine passports.

Tip of the iceberg

But Cayetano’s exposé surrounding the Vietnamese national carrying an original Philippine passport was only “the tip of the iceberg.” According to Cayateno, her panel conducted its own investigation and discovered a more horrifying case.

Cayetano said another case — this time involving “identity theft” — came to light following her office’s investigation.

According to Cayateno, a certain Filipina called “Jane” was intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration due to “inconsistent statements.”

“This person called Jane; she said she was traveling for the first time, but the records of the Bureau of Immigration revealed that she had already had previous travels. In fact, it appeared that Jane had already departed twice as a land-based Overseas Filipino Worker in 2015 and 2019 and had not returned to the Philippines since then. But here was this person in front of the officer, and yet documents showed that she allegedly went out of the country and had yet to come back. It appears that she has three identities,” said Cayetano.

The senator said Jane maintained that it was her first time departing the country as an OFW and stressed that “she was not aware at all that there is another person allegedly using her identity.”

For sale?

These instances prompted Cayetano to question if Philippine citizenship is for sale.

READ: Foreigners reportedly paying P500,000 for PH passport, probe underway

“What hurts the most is the question I am about to ask: Is Philippine citizenship for sale, and how much does it cost to have a Filipino citizenship? It’s sad that I have to ask that question but that is the effect of what we are seeing — Philippine citizenship is being sold,” she said.

Cayetano then emphasized that it is the State’s duty to protect and maintain the integrity and credibility of passports and travel documents. She said her heart goes out to all Filipinos who have fallen victim to the alleged scheme — especially OFWs who only want to earn a living.

“Our OFWs are really relying on the sanctity and integrity of our public documents. So I hope we can shed light on this and find solutions,” she said.