Manila, Dec. 15 -- The Senate on Monday launched an inquiry into the alleged misuse of Republic Act No. 7919, or the Alien Social Integration Act, in the acquisition of Philippine citizenship by a Chinese national identified as Joseph Sy.

Lawmakers raised concerns over possible systemic failures in identity verification and weaknesses in coordination among government agencies.

Senator Risa Hontiveros raised the issue as she opened the hearing of the Justice and Human Rights Committee subcommittee on the "Case of Joseph Sy," citing findings that questioned how Sy became a Filipino citizen and whether the process was lawfully carried out.

"We convene this hearing because of Joseph Sy - na tinagurian na ng media bilang Alice Guo 2.0 (We c...