Two faces arrested for circulating Yap’s fake birth certificate

From the Google image

A warrant of arrest was issued by the Municipal Trial Court in La Trinidad, Benguet, against two individuals accused of Falsification by a Private Individual and Use of Falsified Documents under the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

The charges stem from the alleged online circulation of a falsified document purported to be the birth certificate of Benguet Congressman Eric Go Yap, questioning his eligibility to run for a seat in Congress during the 2022 and 2025 elections.

But the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) had previously dismissed a petition filed by one Franklin Tino seeking to disqualify Yap.

In a decision dated June 26, 2025, the poll body dismissed the petition for lack of substantial evidence, noting that the petitioner “merely filed the Petition without presenting any proof of his contentions.”

Prior to Yap’s proclamation, his alleged birth certificate was brought out on different social media sites, particularly on Facebook, casting doubt on his citizenship.

While the MTC warrant itself does not detail the nature of the falsified document, the context indicates it relates to an allegedly falsified birth certificate of the congressman that was circulated online.

The court set the bail at P36,000 each for the temporary release of the accused. Criminal action is the latest development in the long-running controversy surrounding the Congressman’s identity and qualifications. ###