MANILA, Philippines — Six illegal immigrants have been arrested by agents of the Bureau of Immigration in Mindanao in separate operations.
Immigration chief Jaime Morente said on Sunday that the apprehension of the six foreign nationals stemmed from complaints that the agency had received in Mindanao.
Morente said that Chinese National Tony Co, also known as Alex Ubalde, was arrested by the bureau’s Mindanao intelligence task group (MITG).
Co was allegedly engaged in gainful activity in the country but admitted to be overstaying for eight years here in the Philippines.
He was arrested by immigration agents in Cagayan de Oro last May 20.
Prior to Co’s arrest, immigration officers stationed in Davao City had already arrested five more foreign nationals in Mindanao.
Morente said that Indonesian nationals Jimbirs Da Lema and Supian Undingan were arrested last May 15 in General Santos City.
The duo, according to Morente, have already been arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Sarangani for selling fake local cigarettes.
After the arrest of the Indonesian nationals, the MITG arrested Sri Lankan national Warnakula Weerasuriya Jayathilaka a.k.a. Anton Rowel in Tagum City, Davao del Sur.
He was arrested on May 16 based on a complaint alleging that he was an undocumented and overstaying alien.
On the same day, Korean national Kim Yoonsig was also arrested by agents of the immigration. Kim, an undocumented alien, was reportedly included in the blacklist of the BI.
Meanwhile, immigration operatives arrested American national Branden Fitzgeral Dandridge for being an undocumented and overstaying alien at a popular wakeboarding resort in Davao City last May 17.
Following the arrest of the six foreign nationals, Morente appealed to the public to report the whereabouts and activities of undesirable foreigners operating in the country.
“We encourage the public to report to us the presence of any illegal alien in their areas, and they are assured that these reports will be acted upon,” Morente said in a statement. (Editor: Julie Espinosa)