The Bureau of Immigration has arrested a Chinese national for allegedly posing as a Filipino and using fraudulently obtained government-issued documents.

BI intelligence operatives apprehended Zhi Ling Guan, 47, who was also using the aliases Shi Nengyuan and Mike Sy, following intelligence verification and coordination with law enforcement partners in Batangas on 20 February.

According to BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., the subject misrepresented himself as a Filipino citizen and used Philippine-issued identification documents to support his false claim.

“Our verification confirmed that the individual was operating under multiple identities and had secured Philippine documents under an assumed Filipino name,” Manahan said.

Manahan said the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Land Transportation Office provided information and confirmation that led to the arrest.

Biometric checks and inter-agency verification established that the fingerprints appearing in identification documents under the name “Mike Sy” matched those of Zhi Ling Guan, a Chinese national.

Authorities also uncovered that the subject allegedly used Philippine passports to travel internationally while falsely claiming Filipino citizenship.

The BI stressed that fraudulently claiming Philippine citizenship is a serious violation of immigration laws and an affront to national sovereignty.

The subject has been transferred to the BI warden facility pending deportation proceedings.

Further investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of the alleged fraudulent activities and to identify possible accomplices.