21 allegedly illegal Chinese workers spent Christmas in jail: BI

December 26, 2018

Twenty-one Chinese nationals spent Christmas behind bars following their arrest by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for working without permits.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the Chinese were arrested Dec. 18 at two shopping malls in Pasay City where they were caught selling retail goods to the public.

Morente said he authorized the operation after informants tipped the bureau about foreigners working inside the malls without working visas.

“They will be deported for violating the conditions of their stay in the country and for engaging in gainful activity without the necessary permits,” the BI chief said.

He added foreigners continued to work at the malls even after BI agents raided the same establishment more than a month ago where several illegal foreign vendors were arrested.

“These illegal aliens are brazenly working out in the open, violating immigration laws and steal jobs from Filipinos,” Morente said. “We will not stop hunting them down and sending them out,” he added.

According to BI acting intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., twelve Chinese vendors were arrested at the One Shopping Center while nine were rounded up at the nearby Two Shopping Center.

Manahan said that most of those arrested were tourists or temporary visitors while some could not even present their travel documents.

They are detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, pending deportation. DMS