PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

PHILIPPINE authorities have arrested a Chinese national suspected of using falsified documents to pose as a Filipino and having links him to a company previously investigated for Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said Chinese national was apprehended on May 21 in Cagayan de Oro as part of a broader crackdown on POGOs, following a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., to target illegal foreign nationals involved in criminal activity.

Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said he was identified as an incorporator of Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation (Phil-Sanjia), a company subjected to congressional scrutiny in 2024 for its alleged links to illicit POGO activities.

Authorities recovered several Philippine-issued documents, including birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and voter registration slips, all under his name.

Another incorporator of Phil-Sanjia was listed as Antonio Lim, believed to be an alias another Chinese national arrested by the BI in 2024 for allegedly misrepresenting himself as a Filipino citizen.

“We will not allow foreign nationals to abuse our systems, falsify their identities, and use Philippine documents to cover their tracks,” said Mr. Viado in a statement. “The Bureau is fully committed to supporting the President’s campaign to rid the country of criminal elements linked to illegal POGOs.”

The Philippines on Dec. 31, 2024, declared all forms of POGOs illegal, following a series of crimes connected to them, such as human trafficking, money laundering, and torture. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

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