Last year, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered a comprehensive restructuring of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) and the revocation of all its licenses. According to him, the POGO industry is becoming a nest of scam, corruption, and transnational crimes. Because of this, Congress launched an investigation and sent a report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen the law against foreign users of fake documents.
Ayon kay Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, may mga dayuhan na gumamit ng pekeng birth certificate para magpanggap bilang Pilipino. Sa ganitong paraan, nagagawa nilang bumili ng ari-arian sa bansa at may ilan pang nagtangkang tumakbo sa halalan! Bukod sa identity fraud, may banta rin ito sa seguridad ng Pilipinas.
However, it is difficult to confiscate the illegally acquired assets of these foreigners. Right now, cases are going through the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), but the current law is not enough to quickly recover illegal assets. According to Remulla, Congress needs to pass a new law to have a more effective mechanism for the civil forfeiture of properties obtained using forged documents.
Once the bill is approved, cancellation of fake documents will be easier and illegal assets of foreigners will be confiscated more quickly. Public interest in this proposal is high, and many officials and legal experts are calling on Congress to speed up the passage of the law to protect the economy and security of the Philippines.
