Hontiveros wants deportation for Chinese nationals involved in underground hospitals

Chinese nationals who were involved in the operation of clandestine health facilities discovered in various parts of the country amid the pandemic should be deported, Senator Risa Hontiveros said Thursday.

"Deport and blacklist these criminals. Hindi pwedeng ang higpit natin sa mga Filipino pero maluwag tayo sa mga Chinese na sangkot sa krimen," Hontiveros said in a statement.

"While we are working hard to protect our people from the virus, these criminals freely roam and pose danger to public health. This blatant disregard of our laws should merit immediate deportation and blacklisting," she added.

In previous weeks, secret health facilities catering to Chinese nationals were discovered in Parañaque, Pampanga, and Makati.

Medical practitioners in the said health facilities were not licensed to practice in the country and unregistered medicines labeled in Chinese characters were also recovered.

Hontiveros said the foreign operators of these underground hospitals may face charges for violation of the Food and Drug Administration Law, Medical Act of 1959, and the Hospital Licensure Act.

Malacañang recently expressed alarm over the presence of the said facilities but opposition Senator Leila De Lima also slammed the administration for lack of more proactive measures.

"As usual, when it comes to Chinese shenanigans or nefarious acts, tahimik lang yung top man sa Malacañang sa bagay na ito. Very enraging!" De Lima said.—AOL, GMA News