Immigration laws to be enforced vs misbehaving Chinese — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — The government will not allow foreigners to violate Philippine laws, Malacañang said yesterday, following successive reports about misbehaving Chinese nationals.

Photos and videos of Chinese nationals supposedly misbehaving are making the rounds of the internet, prompting calls for the government to discipline them.

The foreigners featured in the online posts include a man defecating in Intramuros in Manila, three Chinese-looking men urinating along Ayala Avenue in Makati and a Chinese woman who reportedly slapped a delivery boy who asked her for an identification card.

“Our policy is very clear: our law, immigration laws are to be enforced as well as all laws relative to the stay of all foreign nationals in this country,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a press briefing yesterday.

“Those reports are always investigated by authorities... But we will not allow any violation of the law by any citizen whether foreign or local,” he added.

Panelo assured the public that the foreigners who violated the law would face charges.

The Philippines is experiencing an influx of Chinese nationals mainly due to the establishment of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO). Official estimates said about 130,000 Chinese nationals are working for these establishments in the country.

Last year, China urged the Philippines to ban online gaming, saying it could pave the way to crimes like money laundering. President Duterte denied the request, saying the ban would lead to job losses.

The Philippines earned about 1.6 billion in withholding taxes from POGO and service providers in the first eight months of 2019.

Earlier this week, Sen. Risa Hontiveros exposed the operations of prostitution rings run by and catering to mostly Chinese nationals as she expressed belief that the trafficking of Chinese women is related to the influx of POGO workers.