The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has sounded the alarm on the continued use of fake Philippine identities by foreign nationals, following the arrest of four Chinese suspects in Zamboanga del Sur.
In a news release, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the agency remains deeply concerned over the persistent abuse of Philippine documents by foreigners seeking to pass themselves off as Filipino citizens.
Viado said the issue remains a serious national security concern as foreigners could be entering the Philippines to engage in espionage or criminal activity.
The arrests are part of the BI’s intensified campaign against illegal aliens using falsified identities, in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive to guard the country against foreign threats.
On June 16, BI intelligence operatives in Region 9, working with the Philippine Army, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the 53rd Infantry Battalion, apprehended Wang Yunpeng, 46, in Barangay Tikwas, Dumalinao. Wang was caught misrepresenting himself as a Filipino and operating a coconut charcoal business since 2022 without a visa or business permit.
Also arrested was Liu Yang, 45, who was working in Wang’s business without proper documentation.
In a separate operation that same day, authorities arrested Lin Shaozhang, 34, at a shopping center in Molave. Lin, who was managing the same business, also claimed to be Filipino and held a Philippine driver’s license listing him as such.
Another Chinese national, Wang Jingcai, 41, was nabbed in the vicinity for running a cellphone shop while also falsely claiming Filipino citizenship, supported by a local driver’s license.
All four suspects were brought to the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office for booking and were later transferred to the BI’s detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig, where they are being held pending deportation proceedings.
