A CRACKDOWN against foreigners illegally working in the country was launched by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), with the recent arrest of eight Chinese nationals who were employed in two mining sites in Eastern Samar without the required work permits.

BI Commissioner Ricardo David, Jr. said the aliens were arrested by BI intelligence operatives inside the compounds of the Yinshu Mining Corp. and Din Shing Mining Inc. in Bgy. Caradapan, Eastern Samar last February, by virtue of a mission order which was based on an information regarding the presence of scores of Chinese nationals who were allegedly employed at the mining firms without the required working visas from the BI.  

Those arrested were identified as Xue Guanghu, Enqing Xie, Lou Zheng Nan, Hong Bing Yin, Dong Chunhui Li Shaohua, Zuang Guangyu, and Mo Jiacheng.  They were not able to present their work permits when caught in the act of working for the mining firms.

Existing laws require foreigners employed in the Philippines to secure their alien employment permit  from the Department of Labor and Employment and working visa  from the BI. 

“We will continue to go after these illegally working aliens. Their presence here deprives our Filipino workers of much needed job opportunities,” David said.