THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said it has rejected the passport applications of 171 foreigners who supposedly submitted questionable documents.

DFA assistant secretary Adelio Cruz, during the agency’s budget briefing at the Senate, said the Office of the Consular Affairs denied the applications that had delayed birth registration records, most of which “obviously fraudulent” birth certificates, as attachments.

“Since November last year, we were able to prevent the application of questionable nationalities applying for Philippine passports,” he said, adding: “Most were first time (applicants), all with delayed registration of births.”

He said the DFA has submitted 71 of the 171 cases to the National Bureau of Investigation for investigation.

Likewise, Cruz said the DFA has cancelled 66 passports that were fraudulently issued to Chinese nationals.

Cruz assured senators that measures are already in place to prevent this from happening again.

“What we do to ensure that this does not happen again, if it is a questionable application, we get the biometrics of that person, flag it all over the country to avoid their forum shopping and attempt to apply to other (DFA) offices,” he said.

The use of fraudulent late birth registration certificates in passport applications came to light after senators learned that Guo Hua Ping, also known as Alice Guo, was able to acquire a Philippine passport by submitting what is believed to be a fake or tampered birth certificate.

Records show that Guo entered the country in 2003 when she was just 13 years old, contrary to her claim that she was born in the province of Tarlac and grew up in their farm in Bamban town.

Guo is facing a string of cases before various courts for her alleged involvement in the operation of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facility in Bamban, Tarlac where she was the former mayor. She was recently ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The NBI has said that more than 1,200 individuals, mostly Chinese, have been issued birth certificates through the late birth registration system in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur since 2016.