PH deports 27 Chinese nabbed for cybercrime

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday deported 27 Chinese nationals allegedly involved in what authorities described as the single biggest cybercrime operation in the country.

The Chinese suspects were among the more than 300 foreigners—mostly Taiwanese—who were arrested last month in various parts of Metro Manila and neighboring Rizal province.

BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the aliens were deported aboard a Philippine Airlines flight that left Ninoy Aquino International Airport Friday afternoon.

Prior to their deportation, the Chinese nationals were detained at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna.

The aliens were expelled pursuant to a summary deportation order issued on Sept. 7 by the BI board of commissioners, which found them to be “undocumented, overstaying and undesirable aliens” and “serious threats to the general welfare and public policy.”

“They were also placed in our blacklist, thus they are banned from reentering the Philippines,” the BI chief added.

Yesterday’s deportees were among the 87 Chinese nationals and 291 Taiwanese arrested on Aug. 23 in a joint anticybercrime operations by the police, immigration and naval intelligence, according to Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI acting intelligence chief.

Mangrobang said the alleged financiers of the syndicate, identified as Chinese Maria Luisa Tan and Taiwanese Jonson Tan Co, had been charged with violation of Republic Act No. 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act.

An investigation showed that the syndicate used the Internet to call and blackmail their victims in Taiwan and China by falsely informing them that their personal bank accounts were under investigation for money laundering and terrorist links.

The victims would then be asked to deposit their money in a bank account provided by the group.