A Chinese national who has been misrepresenting himself as a Filipino has been arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Daet, Camarines Norte.
In a statement, the BI identified him as Wu Zhishi, 45, who was arrested last June 25 in Purok 3, Barangay V in Daet town.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said that Wu has been using his illegally-acquired government-issued documents and claiming to be a Filipino in various dealings in the area.
BI agents and operatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) posed as customers in Wu’s place of business.
The BI said Wu presented an expired Retiree’s Visa card and denied his use of fake Philippine identity when he secured a firearm’s license.
After his arrest, Wu was turned over to the PAOCC but his legal custody remains with the BI as he undergoes the process of deportation.
Viado expressed deep concern over the seemingly prolific use of Philippine documents by illegal aliens. “This poses a risk to national security as these aliens are able to embed themselves in society, perhaps doing illegal activities by using someone else’s identity,” he said.
He then urged government agencies to tighten their measures and ensure that only legitimate Filipinos are able to secure their identification cards.
“We have raised this concern before and we are raising it again. There is a need to review policies on the issuance of Philippine documents to prevent this from happening again,” he stressed.