MANILA, Philippines — Five Chinese nationals have been arrested in separate operations in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato for using fraudulent Filipino identities to operate businesses and employ illegal workers, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.

“These documents and new identities may be used by foreigners with mal-intent,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Thursday. 

“They could be exploited by possible spies embedding themselves in society by pretending to be Filipinos,” he said.

According to the BI report, on March 20, 2025, BI intelligence officers arrested Bangdie Pan, also known as Ditdit, a 50-year-old Chinese national, in Digos City, Davao del Sur.

Pan was caught managing a hardware store registered under an alleged Filipino citizen, whose identity is now under investigation. Employees admitted that the supposed Filipino owner did not exist, and business permits were forged.

“Pan had a work visa from a company in Pasig City but was found working illegally in Davao del Sur,”said BI Intelligence Division Deputy Chief for Administration & Operations – Mindanao Melody Penelope Gonzales.

The operation was conducted with the Philippine Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion, the 1002nd Brigade, the 10th Infantry Division, the Philippine National Police, and intelligence operatives in Region 11.

Four more arrested in North Cotabato

On March 24, BI operatives arrested four more Chinese nationals in Mlang, North Cotabato—identified as Zhongyi Tang (62), Tianpei Wu (51), Dezhen Liu (62), and Wang Lianxu (53).

The suspects were working illegally in a chemical manufacturing plant. Investigators discovered that Liu misrepresented himself as a Filipino, using fraudulent birth certificates and documents.

“The company was registered under a Filipina, but employees said they had never seen her,” BI operatives said. 

“They confirmed the real owner was a Chinese man based in Manila,” it added

The arrests were conducted in coordination with government intelligence agencies in Region 12, the National Bureau of Investigation Region 12, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 12, and officers from the Mlang Municipal Police Station (MPS) under the PNP.

All five Chinese nationals now face deportation charges for violating Philippine immigration laws.

“We must tighten regulations on the issuance of Filipino documents and identification cards to prevent exploitation by illegal aliens,” Commissioner Viado said.