ILIGAN CITY — Two Chinese nationals who allegedly passed themselves off as Filipinos for almost two decades were arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Iligan City Police on Wednesday, 04 March 2026, in Barangay Mahayahay.

The suspects, XU BaoGui, 51, also known as Stanny Co., and CAI Lizun, 50, also called Mia Co., face charges for misrepresentation and violations of work visa conditions. Investigation revealed that both had been living in the country while conducting business activities under assumed Filipino identities.

Authorities found that one of the suspects obtained a late-registered Filipino birth certificate and Philippine driver’s license using a false identity. Both were found in possession of driver’s licenses issued under their Filipino aliases.

The operation involved units from the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, 5th Mechanized IB, 44IB, 10IB, 2nd K9 Platoon, and intelligence units under the operational control of the Joint Task Force (JTF) ZAMPELAN/1st Infantry “Tabak” Division of the Philippine Army.

The suspects were brought to the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade headquarters at Camp Sultan Badrodin, Barangay Maria Cristina, Iligan City, for documentation and will be turned over to the BI for legal proceedings.

JTF ZAMPELAN commander Major General Yegor Rey Baroquillo Jr. said the arrests demonstrate strong interagency coordination among the BI, Philippine National Police, and the Army.