Government authorities should waste no time in implementing the law and arresting foreign nationals, including Chinese, who entered the country through illegal means, Senator Kiko Pangilinan said.
After legal deportation proceedings, Pangilinan stressed, undesirable aliens should be immediately deported to their country of origin.
“Since it has been established by testimonial evidence that tens of thousands of these Chinese nationals entered the country through illegal means then they should immediately be arrested and deported,” the veteran legislator stated.
“Illegal nationals take away jobs for Filipinos, rob the government of taxes, and possibly put our national security at risk,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
Commonwealth Act 613, as amended by Republic Act 503, provides the provisions on deportation of aliens.
“Foreign nationals who have circumvented immigration laws in connivance with corrupt immigration employees have forfeited their right to stay in the country and therefore should be arrested and immediately deported,” the senator said.
“All foreign nationals proven to have committed illegal acts such as violations of our laws may be blacklisted, arrested, and deported.”
In addition, all foreign nationals proven to have committed illegal acts such as violations of our laws may be blacklisted, arrested, and deported, according to Pangilinan, who is also a lawyer.
In 2019, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested over 2,000 foreigners, most of whom were illegally staying and working Chinese nationals.
He has filed Proposed Senate Resolution 558, urging the Senate to investigate, in aid of legislation, the national security implications of the entry of around four million Chinese into the country since 2017.
“There should be no letup in the drive against illegal foreign nationals.”
Pangilinan said there should be no letup in the drive against illegal foreign nationals, stressing that the number of deportees could be higher if there was an intensified effort to catch and prosecute them.