Raided steel firm possibly being used as entryway for undocumented Chinese nationals —AFP

The steel factories recently raided by authorities were possibly being used as a possible point of entry for Chinese nationals who want to illegally enter and stay in the Philippines, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad.

“It is a possible point of entry ng mga undocumented Chinese nationals na pwede kumalat sa area at magkaroon pa ng mas malaking threats sa ating security,” Trinidad said on the Saturday News Forum.

(It is a possible point of entry for undocumented Chinese nationals that could spread in the area and become a major threat to our security.)

Officials recently raided the Sanjia Steel Corp. in Misamis Oriental due to the facility being allegedly substandard.

There, they found 69 Chinese workers, many of whom are undocumented.

The Sanjia firm is one of five steel plants raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation, with the AFP providing additional support.

Trinidad said that Misamis Oriental steel factory was located near a Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation Industrial Authority, an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement site, the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and the Laguindingan International Airport.

He likened it to how Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators were placed near critical government infrastructure.

According to Trinidad, around 500 steel plants were closed in China due to their materials being substandard and some of them went to the Philippines.

Authorities are still determining how these steel factories were established in the Philippines in such a short amount of time, Trinidad said.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines for a comment and will update the story once it responds. Misamis Oriental —VAL, GMA News