The National Bureau of Investigation in the Southeastern Mindanao Region (NBI-SEMRO) said it has filed five criminal charges against a Chinese man who used a fake Filipino name and falsified his birth certificate in Davao.

Twenty-one-year old Hengson Lemosnero, who was also identified by NBI-SEMRO as Hanlin Qiu, was detained at the NBI-SEMRO after being arrested by the agents on Tuesday for trying to apply for a Philippine passport using falsified documents.

NBI SEMRO director Atty. Archie Albao said criminal cases have been filed against the Chinese national, including violations against the passport law, falsification of public documents, perjury, concealing true name, and using fictitious name.

"Ipa-deport nato ni siya after mahuman ang kaso niya diri sa Pilipinas, (We will deport him after his cases are finished here in the Philippines)," Albao said.

Albao is also certain that the number of Chinese nationals issued with Philippine birth certificates in the town of Sta. Cruz town, Davao del Sur, could still increase as the 200 foreign applicants they initially identified were only recorded from 2018 and 2019.

Meanwhile, Sta. Cruz mayor Jose Nelson Sala Sr. welcomed the investigation spearheaded by the NBI and other government agencies following the large number of Chinese nationals who allegedly acquired Philippine birth certificates.

"We do not tolerate this kind of illegal transaction under my administration. In fact, we are already conducting our own fact-finding investigation and that initial actions were already made concerning those involved personnel ever since this issue has surfaced," he said.

Among the actions taken by the local government include the removal of the head and involved frontliners of the local civil registry office.