9 ILLEGAL CHINESE WORKERS NABBED ALONG MANILA BAY

MANILA, July 2 (PNA-Bernama) – The Philippines Immigration authorities arrested nine Chinese nationals suspected to be illegally working in vessels along Manila Bay in Parañaque City, reported Philippine News Agency (PNA).

In a statement Monday, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Li Weilin, Liu Peng, Wang Yong, Huang Haibing, Gong Yuan Ju, Zhang Tao, Dai Guang Yuan, Li Jiang Yu, and Kang Tian De were arrested on June 29 along the shoreline of the Parañaque Fishport in Barangay Dongalo.

He said the foreigners were caught while disembarking from three motorboats by the bureau's Intelligence Division (ID), in coordination with military troops.

Four of the workers have passports and hold 9G visas petitioned by an engineering company in the Philippines, while the remaining five are undocumented aliens.

“We have reason to suspect that these individuals are engaging in illegal work in vessels along Manila Bay. Their visas limit their work to a company in Pasay City and nowhere else. Foreign nationals with valid working visas, if found to be working in a different company, are violating the conditions of their stay,” PNA quoted Tansingco as saying in the statement.

Meanwhile, ID chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said they conducted months of surveillance and intelligence gathering after receiving reports of Chinese nationals boarding and disembarking vessels along the bay.

The foreigners are now detained at the BI’s facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City. (PNA)

-- BERNAMA-PNA

PR