34 Chinese suspected of working without visa arrested

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) has detained 34 Chinese men caught in the act of working at a construction site and are suspected to have no appropriate visas. They were nabbed at a building site near a mall in Pasay City on Sept. 4. In a statement on Thursday, BI Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said the bureau is still verifying the visa status of the foreigners to confirm if they have already overstayed in the country. He said those proven to be undocumented or without an appropriate visa will be charged and undergo deportation proceedings. “Initial investigation indicate that they arrived here as tourists and that they were employed as construction workers without securing the necessary work permits from the government,” Mr. Morente said. BI Acting Intelligence Chief Fortunato S. Manahan Jr. said the workers were allegedly employed to do finishing works in an office building.