BI nabs four Chinese working in Agusan del Sur mine

Four Chinese nationals working at a mine in Agusan del Sur were arrested for being employed without valid work visas, the Bureau of Immigration said.

The foreigners were arrested on Oct. 1 by the BI’s Regional Intelligence Operations Unit 13 in coordination with the Philippine National Police.

The BI implemented a mission order for the arrest of the Chinese nationals.

After their arrest, the foreigners were brought to the First Municipal Circuit Trial Court in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.

The Chinese miners allegedly committed misrepresentation and worked without valid visas, both violations of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

They were later brought to the Agusan del Sur Provincial Jail for temporary safekeeping.  

BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado underscored the significance of the arrest, adding that this is the agency's third arrest of illegal miners in recent weeks.

Viado said its operations are part of the government’s intensified campaign against environmental destruction and unlawful activities of foreigners. “

This series of arrests shows that we are unrelenting in our fight against foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality and plunder our natural resources,” he said in a statement.

Viado assured that the BI will continue working with other law enforcement agencies and intelligence counterparts to stop foreigners involved in illegal mining and other immigration violations.

He added that violators will be deported and permanently barred from returning to the Philippines. — JMA, GMA Integrated News