Senator Risa Hontiveros has sounded the alarm over national security lapses following the arrest of businessman Joseph Sy, who was accused of falsely presenting himself as Filipino and later discovered to have been given access to the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA).
Sy, chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc., was apprehended by Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on August 21 after arriving from Hong Kong. Authorities said he carried fraudulently acquired Philippine identity documents.
A Coast Guard record dated July 26, 2018, showed that Sy had been appointed to the PCGA Executive Squadron with the honorary rank of Auxiliary Commodore under then Admiral Elson Hermogino.
“He is like Alice Guo Part 2: he posed as a Filipino, he has a fake passport, and fake IDs. It seems that the loopholes in processing our nationality remains,” Hontiveros said, warning that Sy’s honorary role may have given him access to individuals and events where national security matters were discussed.
Hontiveros also pointed out Sy’s ties with Chinese companies, noting that during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 state visit to Beijing, his firm entered into a partnership with state-owned Baiyin Nonferrous Group Co., Ltd. for mining operations in Palawan, a province central to the West Philippine Sea dispute.
“What is the real agenda of Joseph Sy? Is he simply conducting business in Palawan, or is there more to his operations than meets the eye?” the senator asked.
She urged the Senate to open an investigation into Sy’s affiliations, how he obtained Philippine documents, and who may have enabled his entry into sensitive institutions.
“This is not just about one man. When something slips through our institutions and documents, our sovereignty is also accessed,” Hontiveros stressed.
