ILIGAN CITY — Four Chinese nationals were arrested in separate joint law enforcement operations in the Zamboanga Peninsula for alleged immigration and fraud violations, authorities said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, through the Intelligence Service of the AFP, worked with the Bureau of Immigration Mindanao and the Philippine National Police in the back-to-back operations.
Joint law enforcement teams arrested three suspects—Lin Weidong, 57; Xie Meiya, 54; and Qiu Meiyu, 41—at a Zamboanga City commercial establishment on April 14. Authorities charged the trio with violating immigration and documentation laws, tagging them as undesirable aliens who pose a risk to national security.
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A follow-up operation on April 16 in a hardware store in Barangay Lower Taway, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, led to the arrest of Lin Wenyu, also known as Anson Lais Lim, 52.
He allegedly misrepresented himself as a Filipino to secure government-issued IDs and corporate documents, in violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 and provisions of the Revised Penal Code on falsification.
Authorities also seized smuggled items, including exotic animals, during the operations.
"Authorities turned the suspects over to local police for documentation and the filing of appropriate charges.
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Maj. Gen. Yegor Rey P. Barroquillo Jr., commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said the operations highlight strengthened inter-agency coordination to curb illegal activities.
He added that authorities will intensify enforcement to hold foreign nationals accountable for violating Philippine laws.
