The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday, April 1, 2024, said four Chinese suspected of illegally distributing Philippine documents to foreigners have been arrested in Palawan. (Photo from BI)
MANILA, Philippines — Four Chinese who are suspected of leading the distribution of fraudulently-acquired government-issued identification cards and documents were apprehended in Palawan, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
In a report, the BI identified the individuals as Wang Tao, Li Xiaoming, Guo Zhi Yang and Lyu Zhiyang, who were arrested in Barangay San Pedro in Palawan City on March 19.
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Among them, Lyu, who also used the alias Ken Garcia Lee, was said to be the ringleader of the operation and gained notoriety in the local community as the leader of a fraud syndicate in Palawan, the bureau added.
According to the BI, the syndicate was providing illegally obtained government-issued documents to undesirable aliens and trafficking victims.
During the operation leading to the suspects’ arrest, Philippine-issued IDs such as driver’s licenses, postal IDs, and birth certificates were discovered and confiscated from the foreigners, the BI continued.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco referred to the four Chinese as “big fish” since they had illicitly supplied Philippine IDs to foreigners posing as Filipinos.
“These foreign nationals use Philippine documents to avoid inspection, buy property, or even interfere in politics,” Tansingco was quoted as saying in BI’s report.
“The arrest of Lyu and his gang will definitely hurt the operations of these entities, and hopefully put a stop to the proliferation of fraudulently-acquired documents,” he added.
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The Chinese were transferred to the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig and will face charges for misrepresentation and undesirability, in violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
The BI reported at least 10 cases of arrested fake Filipinos presenting authentic Philippine documents in 2023.
In March of this year, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers called on the BI, Philippine Statistics Authority, and local government units to catch members of the alleged “Chinese mafia” responsible for illegally distributing Philippine documents to foreigners.