THE Regional Alternative Child Care-Davao Region (Racco-Davao Region) reported that from 2022 until 2025, they fixed a total of 37 simulated birth cases in the region under Republic Act 11222, otherwise known as the Simulated Birth Rectification Act (Sibra).
Sibra addresses the practice of simulated births, where a child is falsely registered as the biological offspring of someone who did not give birth to them.
Simulated birth, in Sibra’s definition, is the act of tampering, or falsifying documents from the civil registry to make it appear that a child was born to a person who is not the child's biological parent.
Reasons for simulation of birth may include illegal or undocumented adoptions, which may or may not be the result of child abandonment.
Under Sibra, families who have simulated a child's birth are allowed to legally correct it provided they’ve continuously cared for the child as their own for at least three years. Individuals who wish to file may do so from March 29, 2019, to March 29, 2029.
Eden G. Macalino, officer-in-charge of Racco-Davao, warned about the long-term legal and emotional consequences of simulated birth, especially when left uncorrected.
She said that most of the problems arise when the person who simulated the birth dies, and the relatives, siblings, nieces, nephews come after his or her estate, especially if the family is well-off.
She also cited a case previously encountered by her office, where a family was barred from leaving the country after immigration authorities discovered that the child's birth had been simulated, revealing that the listed parents were not the biological ones.
"That's why we encourage yun (correction of simulation birth) na bisan kin sila, pwede silang maka-abroad, pwede silang makalakaw-lakaw, but we have that experience also na nakalakaw sila sa abroad, (pero) tungod kay simulated ang birth, na found out sa Bureau of Immigration na dili sila tinuod nga ginikanan. So, usa to siya, wala gyud sila na nakalarga ato,” she said during the Kapihan sa Dabaw, on Friday, June 13, 2025, at NCCC Victoria Plaza.
(That's why we encourage [correcting simulated births] that even if they are relatives, they can travel abroad, they might be able to go on trips. But we've also had experiences where they were able to travel abroad, only for the Bureau of Immigration to discover that their birth was simulated, and they weren't the real parents. Because of this, they weren't able to depart.]
She said that anybody can adopt, whether they are single, a couple, or even a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, as long as the individual meets the qualifications. Shema Kailah B. Sacman, AdDU Intern