Sen. Francis Pangilinan said authorities should immediately deport foreign nationals who illegally entered the Philippines.
In a statement, the opposition senator said undesirable aliens must be arrested and immediately be sent back to their country of origin following deportation proceedings.
"Since it has been established by testimonial evidence that tens of thousands of these Chinese nationals entered the country through illegal means then they should immediately be arrested and deported," Pangilinan said.
“Foreign nationals who have circumvented immigration laws in connivance with corrupt immigration employees have forfeited their right to stay in the country," he added.
He said Commonwealth Act 613, as amended by Republic Act 503, provides the processes on the deportation of aliens. He also noted that all foreign nationals proven to have committed illegal acts such as violations of our laws may be blacklisted, arrested, and deported.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it arrested over 2,000 foreigners in 2019. Many of them were Chinese nationals caught illegally staying and working in the country, and engaged in cyber fraud activities and unauthorized online gaming operations.
In reiterating his appeal, Pangilinan said illegal aliens "take away jobs for Filipinos, rob the government of taxes, and possibly put our national security at risk."
He said there should be no letup in the drive against illegal foreign nationals, stressing that the number of deportees could be higher if there was an intensified effort to catch and prosecute them.
Last Tuesday, Pangilinan filed proposed Senate Resolution 558, urging the Senate to investigate, in aid of legislation, the national security implications of the entry of some four million Chinese since 2017, and "wh