7 ILLEGAL CHINESE MINERS ARRESTED IN BATANGAS

SEVEN Chinese men found to be working in a quarry site in Batangas on Wednesday were arrested by operatives of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

According to BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., the seven Chinese nationals were arrested in an operation conducted by its Regional Intelligence Operations Unit (RIOU) 4-A and government intelligence forces, in coordination with the Taysan Municipal Police Station.

Manahan said their initial target was Wang Zhenglai, 34, who possessed a working visa but was found to have been petitioned by a fake company.

However, during their operations, they were able to arrest six others who were found to be illegally working in the same area.

Apart from Wang, five other workers were found to be possessing a 9(g) working visa but were petitioned by companies located in Quezon City. One was found to be working with merely a tourist visa.

One of the workers identified as Wang Shou Min, 67, was said to be the “big boss” of the mining company and is the father of Wang Zhenglai.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco reiterated that working visas are both company-specific and station-specific.

“Foreign nationals who possess a working visa but found to be petitioned by fake companies or caught to be working in other locations may face deportation cases,” Tansingco said.

The use of fake companies as petitioners, said Tansingco, is becoming a trend following the recent discovery of foreign nationals presenting fraudulently-acquired documents to stay in the country.

Tansingco said the arrest stemmed from intelligence information that some Chinese nationals are found to be working illegally in mining operations.