Locsin says gov’t must bring killer of Chinese national to justice

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday said the Philippine government must act swiftly to bring to justice those behind the recent death of a Chinese national in Las Piñas City as he raised the possibility of reprisal against Filipino workers in China.

"It makes no difference who killer(s) are, killing happened here. Our obligation to bring them to justice pronto," Locsin said on Twitter.

"We go down this road of letting Chinese nationals be hurt, our people in China will pay," he said.

The government, he said, should address the matter at once as he expressed concern that "anti-Filipino riots" may "start to take the sacrificial place of our people working at good jobs there."

There are more than 12,000 Filipino workers in mainland China, according to government figures.

The victim, identified as Yang Kang, 27, jumped from the sixth floor window of a building to escape his employer, reports said. He was found dead wearing handcuffs.

China urged "relevant departments of the Philippine government to bring the perpetrators to justice through an objective, fair and thorough investigation."

It also called on the government to take "concrete and effective" measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Philippines.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo assured that an investigation is ongoing, adding that the Philippines “will not allow nor tolerate any kind of abuse inflicted on any foreigner."

The past three years saw the influx of Chinese nationals working for Chinese-owned offshore gaming companies that operate in the Philippines, prompting serious concerns from lawmakers and various sectors in the country.

Majority of them, they said, do not have legal work permits and have entered the country using tourist visas.

The Chinese embassy admitted that a large number of Chinese citizens have been illegally recruited and hired for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations or POGO and also for Philippine casinos. Many of them, the embassy said, were subjected to abuse by their employers.

Any form of gambling by Chinese citizens, including online-gambling, gambling overseas, opening and operating casinos overseas to attract citizens of China as primary customers, is illegal, the embassy said. — MDM, GMA News