Immigration arrests 17 Chinese selling produce in Divisoria sans permit

Agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) have arrested 17 Chinese nationals they allegedly caught selling produce in Divisoria in Manila without proper visas or permits.

In a Thursday statement, the BI said they arrested 20 individuals, three of whom showed documents stating they are Filipinos, in a raid in Sto. Cristo Street in Divisoria in Manila last Monday afternoon.

The operation stemmed from a complaint by local vendors in the area, the bureau said.

“We were initially targeting one individual but upon arriving at the scene, we saw 20 foreign nationals selling garlic, onions, and other produce,” BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan, Jr. said.

“They were selling on the sidewalks, out in the open.  They most likely do not have permits for their stores, nor are paying proper taxes,” he added.

Fourteen of those arrested were male while six were female, the BI said.

The 17 Chinese nationals were brought to the BI Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. The three Filipinos were released.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno cleared Divisoria of sidewalk vendors early into his term of office in July. Divisoria vendors have recently protested the move to ban them to do business along certain sidewalks in the city. — MDM, GMA News