‘Chinese mafia’ holding special Phl visa alarming, says Binay

Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday reiterated her call on the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) to strictly impose application screening as immigration officials reported an alleged “Chinese mafia” using passports with special resident retiree visas (SRRV).

This comes after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that it had arrested four Chinese nationals suspected to be behind the proliferation of fraudulently acquired government-issued IDs and documents, including genuine Philippine passports with questionable SRRVs.

“It is very concerning since these foreign nationals enter and exit the country using valid documents that we know were obtained through illicit ways,” Binay said in a statement.

She added that the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency must help the concerned government agencies to assess the scale of fraud perpetrated by such syndicates and check the addresses and contact numbers provided in their valid Philippine documents.

Binay also stressed that the issuance and renewal of SRRVs have long been exploited, and fears that some Chinese syndicates have likely connived, maintained ties, and established networks within the government bureaucracy.

“Visa fraud and fake identities adversely impact national security. What’s largely alarming is the PRA policy of allowing Chinese SRRV applicants who are 35 years old, which can be categorized as ‘soldier’s age,” Binay said.

“There should be imposed security measures and the vetting process of applications regardless of nationality should be tightened,” she added.

Binay recalled that last year, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested a high-ranking PRA official for issuing unwarranted SRRV cards to foreigners.

The BI also discovered several cases of foreign nationals pretending to be Filipinos by using different Philippine documents and genuine immigration stamps.

“We have mentioned many times about the POGO workers who reportedly happen to be SRRV holders. But what is more alarming is the reported arrest of four Chinese nationals holding retirees visas in the Philippines,” Binay said.

She cited the PRA records which show that there are about 78,000 foreign retirees in the Philippines, and about 30,000 Chinese “retirees” have been allowed to permanently reside in the country.

“The growing number of interceptions of Chinese nationals presenting authentic government-issued Philippine documents identifying them as Filipino traders or retirees has now become a national security concern,” said the senator.