Sunday, Aug 02, 2015
Manila: A lawmaker is urging a Congressional probe into the makers of fake documents, saying the operations of these people harm the integrity of documents issued by the government.
Representative Leah Paquiz of the Ang Nars Party-list said the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs should conduct an inquiry into the damaging activities at document forgers operating along Recto Avenue in Manila.
Recto Avenue is located near downtown Manila. Although the area is known for being part of the University Belt, the part of the capital with many tertiary education establishments, it is also the spot where forgers enjoy lucrative business.
For a fee, forgers at Recto can furnish job applicants who do not have the necessary credentials with such documents as identification cards, receipts, school transcripts, diplomas and even documents supposedly authenticated with red ribbon by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
She said Recto Avenue has long served as a virtual “one-stop shop” for those who resort to submitting “manufactured” credentials for employment and other purposes.
Paquiz said “it is public knowledge that documents … can be sourced at from forgers operating along Recto Avenue for a fee and in a few hours.”
Maintaining integrity
Paquiz said a congressional inquiry should be ordered to maintain the integrity of the country’s professionals and skilled workers before the local and international community.
She said Recto forgers should be to blame for tarnishing the image of Filipino workers as “fraudulent workers.”
Paquiz cited a report by the Philippine Council of Engineers and Architects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that stated that the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) has culled data showing that a number of Filipinos working as engineers and architects in Saudi Arabia had used fraudulent documents.
“The reported data shows that a total of 120 in 2011, 143 in 2012, 281 in 2013, 460 in 2014 and 497 in 2015 Filipino engineers and architects were found to have been using forged credentials,” she said.
She added that the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has reported that they are presently handling a number of criminal cases alleging the involvement of Filipinos who have employed the use of fake credentials in entering the Kingdom.
“One such case is that of a Filipino nurse in Jeddah who not only faces criminal prosecution for the felony of forgery of documents but stiffer penalties and prison terms for the crime of malpractice,” Paquiz said.
Earlier, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago expressed alarm over the number of self-professed doctors who illegally practice medicine in the country.
Defensor-Santiago said the government is “duty-bound” to protect its citizens from unscrupulous individuals who claim to be professionals, but are without legitimate education, training, and experience.
By Gilbert ?P. Felongco ?Correspondent
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
