Hontiveros claims Joseph Sy allegedly involved in 'foreign interference,' questions documents of Sy's son

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday alleged that nickel businessman Joseph Sy is supposedly nvolved in malign influence and foreign interference (MIFI) activities.

Hontiveros also bared that Sy's son also possessed two active passports – one Chinese and one Filipino – and two different birth certificates that bore different details about his parents.

“Remember Joseph Sy? Ang businessman na di umano’y nagpanggap na Pinoy pero Chinese daw pala? I received info from intel sources that he is believed to be involved in malign influence and foreign interference activities,” Hontiveros said in a Facebook post.

(Remember Joseph Sy? The businessman who allegedly pretended to be Filipino but is actually Chinese? I received information from intel sources that he is believed to be involved in malign influence and foreign interference activities.) 

Hontiveros said MIFI refers to activities “conducted by foreign entities that aim to manipulate or disrupt the social, political or economic landscape of the Philippines,” and that Chinese influence agents are now rampant in the country.

GMA Integrated News is presently exerting efforts to get Sy's comment on Hontiveros' latest allegation.

Hontiveros also alleged that Sy’s son also “inherited” the “fraudulent representations” of his father.  

“Ang panlilinlang ay hindi tumigil sa kanyang sarili. Pati ang kanyang anak ay may dalawang pagkakilanlan, dalawang citizenship, at dalawang passport,” the senator said in a privilege speech on Wednesday. 

(The deception didn’t stop with Sy. Even his son has two identities, two citizenships, and two passports.) 

Hontiveros said that Sy’s son has a valid Chinese passport valid until 2031 with the name, “Johnson Cai Chen,” and a valid Philippine passport valid until 2030 with the name, “Johnson Chua Sy.”

“Sa isang birth certificate, ‘yung mismong birth certificate niya noong kanyang kapanganakan and registered on time or in 1995, pinanganak siya sa Chinese General Hospital at ang tatay niya, itong si Chen Zhen Zhong, take note Chinese nationality, at ang nanay niya ay si Bao Han Cai alias Pauline Chua Chen, citizenship Chinese,” she said.

(In his birth certificate registered in 1995, it was indicated that he was born at the Chinese General Hospital and his father is Chen Zhen Zhong – a Chinese national – and his mother is Bao Han Cai alias Pauline Chua Chen, also a Chinese citizen.)

“Ngunit may isa pa siyang birth certificate, acquired via late registration daw! Registered lang noong 2014. At ang kanyang tatay dito ay si Joseph Cue Sy, Filipino citizen, at ang nanay ay si Pauline Cai Chua, Chinese citizen,” she added.

(But he also has another birth certificate, acquired via late registration. It was only registered in 2014. And his father here is Joseph Cue Sy, a Filipino citizen, and his mother is Pauline Cai Chua, a Chinese citizen.) 

Last month, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed that a Taguig City court ordered Sy’s release from detention, although the BI has appealed the decision.

The BI claimed that 60-year-old Chen Zhong Zhen, who was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Terminal 3 on August 21 for misrepresenting himself as a Filipino, is Sy, the chairman of Global Ferronickels Holdings Inc.

Previously, Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. maintained that allegations against Sy had no lawful basis and stressed that Sy "is a Filipino citizen as affirmed by multiple rulings by government agencies and institutions."

It added that upon his latest arrival in Manila, Sy presented his valid Philippine passport, an official proof of his nationality and that Sy was never involved in any criminal activity.

Hontiveros previously raised concerns about Sy’s enlistment in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Auxiliary. She said Sy is pretending to be a Filipino, similar to Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, who is now facing several cases over her links to an illegal POGO hub and citizenship issues. 

The PCG said it has delisted Sy from its Auxiliary unit over his alleged misrepresentation of his citizenship. — JMA, GMA Integrated News