DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 10 July)—A 21-year-old Chinese national from Fujian province, China was arrested Tuesday afternoon when he applied for a Philippine passport using falsified documents, an official of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Davao Region said on Wednesday.
Lawyer Arcelito Albao (foreground), NBI chief in the Davao Region, presents to the media a Chinese national who was caught with fake documents when he applied for a Philippine passport at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Davao City on Tuesday (10 July 2024). NBI said the suspect used a Filipino name, Hengson Jabilles Limosnero. MindaNews photo
During a press conference, NBI-Davao Region director Arcelito Albao told reporters that the Chinese national used a Filipino in applying for a passport at the Department of Foreign Affairs-Mindanao at SM City Davao in Ecoland.
He said the alien was using “Hengson Jabilles Limosnero” and presented a birth certificate, driver’s license, and national identification from the Philippine Statistics Authority as requirements to apply for the passport.
Albao said that his birth certificate was used to secure other government-issued documents and IDs.
He said the NBI-Davao was alerted by the DFA after its personnel became suspicious of the Chinese’s identity as he could not speak Cebuano nor Tagalog, and could only talk in English.
Albao said that the Chinese national also provided “inconsistent answers” when interrogated.
He said the Chinese applied for a passport as he wanted to become a Filipino citizen and plans to travel to the United States.
The NBI official did not disclose the Chinese name, pending verification of his real identity from the Bureau of Immigration.
In a brief interview with the media, the Chinese national admitted to possessing a Chinese passport.
Albao added that the Chinese national is a first-year accountancy student at the Ateneo de Davao University and finished high school at the Philippine Academy of Sakya Davao.
The Chinese national will face charges for violation of the New Philippine Passport Act and Revised Penal Code, penalizing falsification of public documents, perjury, and using fictitious name and concealing true name, Albao said.
He said the documents and IDs used were “original” copies but were considered “falsified” as the information provided were false.
Albao said that the Chinese national and his family have been residing in Davao City for 10 years.
He said the family owns a hardware business in the city’s Chinatown along Ramon Magsaysay Avenue, or more popular to locals as “Uyanguren.”
Albao added that the Chinese was born in Fujian province, China and was brought by his family to Davao when he was 10 years old.
He said the family used an address in Barangay Inawayan in Santa Cruz town, Davao del Sur, to have his birth belatedly registered at the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) of the same town in 2013.
Albao added that his father is currently in China while his mother, whose Filipina name is “Felisa” based on passport applicant’s birth certificate, lives with him in Davao.
Shortly after the arrest, Albao said that he spoke with his mother over the phone.
He said the mother could also not speak Cebuano nor Tagalog. Authorities are investigating whether the mother is using a Philippine passport, according to Albao.
“Allegedly, her name is Filipino but when I spoke to her, she could not speak Cebuano nor Tagalog,” Albao said.
He said authorities are still tracking the whereabouts of the Chinese national’s family and investigating whether they have other relatives in the county.
Albao added that they are tracking down the 200 individuals who were issued with birth certificates by the LCR in Santa Cruz from 2018 to 2019 to verify their nationality.
He said that the majority of these individuals could be Chinese nationals.
Albao said that the Chinese national is not linked with any individuals linked with the controversial operations of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGO. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)