MANILA — Two foreign nationals who have been posing as Filipinos were arrested in separate operations conducted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), officials said.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado identified the suspects as Chinese nationals Jucan Hong and Qingzhuang Ke. Hong was arrested in Legazpi City, while Ke was apprehended in Tagum City.

“Citizenship is not a costume that foreigners can wear when it is convenient,” Viado said. He added that “those who falsely claim to be Filipinos to gain privileges, evade the law, or manipulate our systems will be arrested, prosecuted, and deported.”

Citing reports from BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., the bureau said Hong had been misrepresenting himself as a Filipino to obtain government-issued identification, including a driver’s license, and to conduct business activities.

Ke, meanwhile, used a fake Filipino identity named Jimmy Reyes. “Investigators discovered that Ke obtained a delayed registration of birth certificate under a fictitious Filipino name, which he then used to acquire multiple Philippine IDs, open bank accounts, register vehicles, and operate a warehouse business under the guise of Filipino ownership,” the BI said.

Both Hong and Ke are now in BI custody pending deportation.