Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives in Central Visayas have arrested a Chinese national who allegedly assumed a Filipino identity while managing a trading business in the country.
Wang Chaoxin, 32, was apprehended on May 14 in a joint operation involving the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Bureau of Investigation offices in Cebu and Manila, according to a statement released by Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado on Sunday.
Authorities revealed that Wang had acquired a Philippine driver’s license, birth certificate, and registered his business under a false Filipino name.
“He was misrepresenting himself as a Filipino while conducting business activities,” Viado confirmed, adding that the arrest aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to safeguard the country’s sovereignty against foreign nationals engaged in unlawful activities.
Alongside Wang, four other Chinese nationals were also taken into custody for violating the conditions of their stay in the Philippines. Three of them were found working for a company other than their declared employer despite holding work visas, while the fourth lacked any work permit.
Viado emphasized that the successful operation demonstrated the strong coordination between the Bureau of Immigration and law enforcement agencies.
