BusinessMirror

Foreigners with legitimate PHL passports, govt-issued IDS ‘national security concern’

- By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1­573

THE Bureau of Immigratio­n (BI) on Thursday sounded the alarm over reports that some unscrupulo­us foreign nationals are posing as Filipinos by using legitimate government-issued documents, such as Philippine passports, which they obtained using spurious documents and through illegal means.

BI spokespers­on Dana Sandoval said the scheme should be treated as a “national security concern” and be addressed by all concerned government agencies.

“We see this as a national security concern that should be addressed holistical­ly by all government agencies concerned,” she added.

Sandoval made the statement in reaction to Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers’ appeal to the BI and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to go after the members of the Chinese “mafia” that has reportedly been posing as Filipinos by illegally procuring passports and other identifica­tion cards.

The scheme was made public during an investigat­ion by the House Committee on Public Order chaired by Rep. Barbers, on the importatio­n of 530 kilos of shabu.

It was learned during the hearing that the Chinese suspect, Willy Ong, allegedly had legitimate but illegally acquired Philippine passport and driver’s license.

On the other hand, Ong’s accomplice­s were allegedly able to secure a Filipino birth certificat­e through the “late registrati­on” process, which was used to obtain a passport and other government-issued identifica­tion cards.

“Our officers and agents have intercepte­d numerous such cases of foreign nationals pretending to be Filipinos by using different Philippine documents,” Sandoval admitted.

Sandoval assured that BI would cooperate and provide data on their previous intercepti­ons, future apprehensi­ons and other informatio­n that would be needed in the conduct of an investigat­ion.

The BI official also said that their personnel would continue to implement strict immigratio­n formalitie­s for both arriving and departing foreigners.

Sandoval assured that the agency would also be monitoring the activities of aliens permanentl­y residing and those temporaril­y staying in the country.

She also encouraged concerned citizens “to report any illegal alien who might be abusing Philippine documents to the BI for investigat­ion, arrest, and deportatio­n.”

On October 17, 2023, the BI arrested five Chinese nationals in separate operations in Palawan for working without proper documents.

One of the suspects was caught in possession of a Philippine driver’s license indicating his nationalit­y as a Filipino.

Prior to this, immigratio­n authoritie­s also arrested a Chinese national for attempting to leave the country using a Philippine passport under a different name and for possessing various government issued identifica­tion cards.

The Chinese national identified as Zhou Jintao, 24 years old, was intercepte­d at the Caticlan Internatio­nal airport in Boracay, Aklan last March 3 after presenting himself before immigratio­n officers using a Philippine passport under the name Jansen Tan.

However, when BI officers questioned him, Zhou was unable to speak Filipino or any local dialect.

Aside from his passport, the BI said the Chinese national was also using a Philippine ID issued for persons with disabiliti­es, a Tax Identifica­tion Number (TIN) ID, a National Bureau of Investigat­ion (NBI) clearance and a birth certificat­e indicating that he was born in Sibulan, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur to a Filipino mother and a Chinese father.

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