TWELVE illegally working Chinese nationals were caught in Tacloban City on Wednesday. (Radyo Pilipinas Borongan FB)
TACLOBAN CITY – Authorities arrested 12 illegally working Chinese nationals on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Barangay 95-A Caibaan here.
The suspects were identified as officials and employees of Ocean Wave Communications (Philippines) Corp., also known as Hailang Communications (Philippines) Co., an internet service provider operating in the province of Leyte.
They were apprehended for violating Section 9(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act (Commonwealth Act No. 613) or working without a valid visa or permit.
The operation was conducted by a joint law enforcement team composed of the Bureau of Immigration, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Armed Forces, and the police.
Investigation revealed that several of the suspects entered the Philippines using tourist visas.
They later applied for Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) by presenting invalid Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to obtain working visas.
Others were found to have acquired AEPs from different petitioning companies while working for Ocean Wave company.
Further investigation said that the suspects also violated other Philippine laws, including labor laws for acts of misrepresentation, corporation laws for discrepancies in the company’s articles of incorporation, and taxation laws for endorsing wrong TINs.