5 Blacklisted Chinese Nationals Arrested in Philippines

‘Officials confirmed that all five individuals were blacklisted and had violated the terms and conditions of their stay,’ a report noted.

Security guards of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration stand in front of a detention facility in Taguig City, Philippines, on Feb. 1, 2023. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

The Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested five blacklisted Chinese nationals after they tried to flee the country by boat using a “backdoor” route on March 22.

All five individuals, two of whom are wanted in China, are affiliated with the Lucky South 99 company, an illicit Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), according to the country’s immigration website.

Ying Guanzhen (31), Yang Jinlong (29), Liu Xin (28), Shen Kan (36), and Luo Honglin (27), were taken into custody at the Zamboanga International Airport in the country’s far south.

They were moved to the facility after the illegal transporter’s vessel in which they attempted to escape developed engine problems near the autonomous Tawi-Tawi archipelago east of Indonesia.

There they were confronted by the local Muslim Mindanao authorities.

“Their escape was thwarted by Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) authorities when their boat encountered engine trouble near Languyan Island,” according to a report on the Philippine immigration website.

“Upon verification, BI officials confirmed that all five individuals were blacklisted and had violated the terms and conditions of their stay,” the report reads.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado ordered their arrests, ultimately resulting in their custody with the Philippine National Police, according to the report.

Viado acknowledged local intelligence agency efforts leading up to the men’s arrests, stating, “This joint arrest underscores the importance of our strong collaboration with government intelligence sources in ensuring that our borders are not exploited by fugitives and undocumented foreign nationals.”

He further stressed the “importance of vigilance” by government and law enforcement agencies in vulnerable areas to stem the flow of “unscrupulous individuals” entering and exiting the Philippines illegally, according to the BI website.

The illegal POGO that the five men are associated with, in the town of Porac, was raided on June 5, 2024.

The country’s justice department reported on June 9 that the raid was in part a rescue in which two Chinese individuals were extricated from the “biggest facility” in the Philippines’ Pampanga province.

The agency stated that torture and sex trafficking of staff were among the illicit operations reported to them leading up to the raid and noted that on the day before, 157 foreigners were apprehended—most of whom were Chinese.

On Oct. 9, 2024, the Philippine ombudsman, Samuel Martires, directed the suspension of Porac Mayor Jaime Capil; his deputy, Francis Laurence Tamayo; the town Business Permit and Licensing Office officer in charge, Emerald Vital; and eight members of Porac’s municipal legislative body, locally known as the Sangguniang Bayan.

“The said respondents stand charged for Gross Neglect of Duty, which, if proven true, constitutes ground for their dismissal from the government service under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service,” the order reads, according to the government-operated Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The PNA quoted Martires citing “inaction and willful non-compliance” as the reason for “the continuous operation of Lucky South 99.”

Martires indicated that the suspensions were also a preventive measure.

“Given respondents’ power and authority, there is a strong probability that they may influence witnesses or tamper with any evidence material to the case, and in order to likewise prevent any possible acts of malfeasance and/or misfeasance,” he said, via the PNA.

The March 22 arrests come less than a month after Philippine authorities announced an investigation into cash and motorbikes donated to police departments and governing bodies by four Chinese nationals.

On March 3, the four defendants—Cai Shaohuang, Chen Haitao, Wang Yongyi, and Wu Junren—were also accused of spying after they were caught with maps and images of the country’s west coast military assets.

Press liaison for the president Claire Castro told reporters: “The president will not let that go. Really, when the news is like that and it reaches us, it really needs to be investigated.”