IMMIGRATION agents arrested three Chinese in Zamboanga del Sur masquerading as Filipino citizens.
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, two Filipino women involved in a trafficking scheme were intercepted by immigration agents.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said immigration intelligence personnel, together with the Philippine Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion, conducted the operation that first led to the arrest of 46-year-old Wang Yunpeng in Barangay Tikwas, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur on June 16.
Viado said the BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-Probes) reported that two women, aged 32 and 48, were stopped from boarding a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore last June 18 after discrepancies were noted during the initial inspection.
Viado said Wang was misrepresenting himself as a Filipino, and had documentation saying the same.
“Wang admitted to be operating a coconut charcoal business since 2022, without proper permits and visa,” the BI chief added.
Also arrested with Wang was Liu Yang, who was found by immigration officers to be working without a permit in the former’s business.
Viado said arrested on the same day in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur, was 34-year-old Lin Shaozhang, who was found managing the business.
Lin was found to be misrepresenting himself as a Filipino, and even possessed a Philippine driver’s license indicating his Filipino nationality.
Another suspected fake Filipino was arrested in the vicinity, identified as 41-year-old Wang Jingcai.
Wang was found manning a cellphone shop and was also in possession of a driver’s license indicating his nationality as Filipino.
The arrested individuals were initially detained at the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office before they were transferred on June 17 to the BI’s detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig where they are being held pending their deportation.
BI reports stated that the two Filipino women intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 identified themselves as close friends and claimed they were traveling to Singapore as tourists.
“Both were intercepted early during primary inspection due to their inability to answer basic travel questions, conflicting travel itineraries, and inconsistent statements, which led to their referral for secondary inspection,” said the reports.
Upon further questioning, the two women revealed that Albania, not Singapore, was their actual destination. They admitted they were recruited to work there as household service workers, with a promised monthly salary of €500 or roughly P38,000.
They further confessed that they were contacted by a recruiter through a Facebook job posting, and all travel and employment documents were coordinated via WhatsApp.
“We are witnessing yet another case of online illegal recruitment, a deceptive tactic where workers are deceived by generous offers, but often end up working under exploitative conditions,” said Viado.
“As these fraudulent schemes persist, our efforts to combat them must remain equally relentless,” he added. “We strongly urge Filipinos to remain cautious and consult official government agencies before accepting any overseas job offers.”
The pair was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and the filing of appropriate charges against their recruiter.
