A Chinese national has been arrested in Butuan City in Agusan del Norte for posing as a Filipino, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday, Oct. 17.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado identified the arrested foreigner as Jianting Chen, 47, who has been using the alias “Kenneth Tan.”
Viado said that Chen was arrested last Oct. 9 at a restaurant in Butuan City by operatives of the BI Regional Intelligence Operations Units 11 and 13 in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
When arrested, the BI said that Chen presented his foreign passport and retiree’s visa bearing his Chinese name.
It was found that he also had a Land Transportation Office-issued driver’s license and a Philippine Statistics Office-issued birth certificate under a Filipino identity, the BI said.
It also said that Chen admitted that he acquired his Filipino identity for his business registration papers and bank accounts.
Chen is detained at the BI’s Davao office and will face deportation proceedings.
“Foreign nationals who use Philippine identities pose a risk to national security,” Viado said.
“These individuals are infiltrating our economy and stealing work from real Filipinos. Worse is that they may be involved in more sinister acts during their stay here,” he added.