Philippines : About 3,000 Chinese expelled amid $830m ‘visa scam’

[Chanakyaa]

Philippines: About 3,000 Chinese expelled amid $830m ‘visa scam’

Officials say ‘erring Chinese’ nationals deported for violating conditions of stay amid brewing bribery allegations.

www.aljazeera.com

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced the deportation of nearly 3,000 “erring Chinese” nationals for violating the conditions of their stay.


The announcement is seen as an act of damage control after President Rodrigo Duterte administration officials were accused of selling visas in a multimillion-dollar scheme.


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Earlier, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that in 2017, Duterte-appointed officials amassed as much as 40 billion Philippine pesos ($833m) in bribes, mostly from Chinese nationals who wanted a seamless visa approval upon their arrival in the capital Manila.


On Tuesday, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente announced that a total of 2,736 Chinese citizens were ordered to leave the country immediately.


They were reportedly granted visas from January to October this year upon arrival, but failed to leave on their scheduled departure date.


Under Philippine law, those who were granted visas upon arrival are not allowed to extend their stay beyond 30 days.












“More than half of those who were ordered to leave were blacklisted from our country,” Morente said in a statement.


“While some were unable to leave due to circumstance – following the cancellation of many flights due to the pandemic – those who stayed without sufficient basis were included in our blacklist.”

Closer ties with China

The visa-on-arrival programme was launched by the Philippine government three years ago to attract Chinese tourists and tour groups as part of a push for closer economic and political ties with Beijing under the Duterte administration.


Morente did not say how many other nationals violated the rules in previous years and how many were deported since the programme was launched.


According to a May 2020 report, about 90,000 Chinese nationals work in the country’s online gambling industry alone, and many were suspected to have availed the programme, skirting the more complicated labour visa application process.


Online gambling operation is banned in China.



The Department of Tourism also reported that 1.74 million Chinese nationals arrived in the country in 2019, pumping as much as $2.3bn into the Philippine economy.











Morente said the programme accounts for “only around 5 percent” of total Chinese arrivals in the Philippines.


“Majority secured their visas from our foreign posts abroad,” he explained.


But opposition Senator Hontiveros said contrary to those claims, as many as 3.8 million Chinese nationals must have paid the 10,000 pesos ($208) bribe to immigration officials since the visa programme started in 2017.


Marc Red Mariñas, an appointee of Duterte’s former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, was identified by witnesses as the mastermind of the scheme.


Mariñas has denied the allegations during a Senate hearing last week.



The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation has also launched a probe into the scandal. It found out that even an immigration bureau security guard, who is suspected of being part of the operation, had earned as much as $20,000 in one year based on his statement of assets and liabilities.


The BI suspended the visa programme around the time that the coronavirus pandemic flared up in China.


In a televised address on Tuesday, President Duterte promised to carry out an investigation into corruption in all government agencies.

 

[retaxis]

Who cares?

 

[GHALIB]

Philippines: About 3,000 Chinese expelled amid $830m ‘visa scam’

Officials say ‘erring Chinese’ nationals deported for violating conditions of stay amid brewing bribery allegations.

www.aljazeera.com

The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced the deportation of nearly 3,000 “erring Chinese” nationals for violating the conditions of their stay.


The announcement is seen as an act of damage control after President Rodrigo Duterte administration officials were accused of selling visas in a multimillion-dollar scheme.


Keep Reading
Duterte finds a friend in China but critics cry treasonBeijing to Duterte: South China Sea position not up for talksDuterte arrives in Beijing as South China Sea tensions grow
Earlier, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that in 2017, Duterte-appointed officials amassed as much as 40 billion Philippine pesos ($833m) in bribes, mostly from Chinese nationals who wanted a seamless visa approval upon their arrival in the capital Manila.


On Tuesday, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente announced that a total of 2,736 Chinese citizens were ordered to leave the country immediately.


They were reportedly granted visas from January to October this year upon arrival, but failed to leave on their scheduled departure date.


Under Philippine law, those who were granted visas upon arrival are not allowed to extend their stay beyond 30 days.












“More than half of those who were ordered to leave were blacklisted from our country,” Morente said in a statement.


“While some were unable to leave due to circumstance – following the cancellation of many flights due to the pandemic – those who stayed without sufficient basis were included in our blacklist.”

Closer ties with China

The visa-on-arrival programme was launched by the Philippine government three years ago to attract Chinese tourists and tour groups as part of a push for closer economic and political ties with Beijing under the Duterte administration.


Morente did not say how many other nationals violated the rules in previous years and how many were deported since the programme was launched.


According to a May 2020 report, about 90,000 Chinese nationals work in the country’s online gambling industry alone, and many were suspected to have availed the programme, skirting the more complicated labour visa application process.


Online gambling operation is banned in China.



The Department of Tourism also reported that 1.74 million Chinese nationals arrived in the country in 2019, pumping as much as $2.3bn into the Philippine economy.











Morente said the programme accounts for “only around 5 percent” of total Chinese arrivals in the Philippines.


“Majority secured their visas from our foreign posts abroad,” he explained.


But opposition Senator Hontiveros said contrary to those claims, as many as 3.8 million Chinese nationals must have paid the 10,000 pesos ($208) bribe to immigration officials since the visa programme started in 2017.


Marc Red Mariñas, an appointee of Duterte’s former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, was identified by witnesses as the mastermind of the scheme.


Mariñas has denied the allegations during a Senate hearing last week.



The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation has also launched a probe into the scandal. It found out that even an immigration bureau security guard, who is suspected of being part of the operation, had earned as much as $20,000 in one year based on his statement of assets and liabilities.


The BI suspended the visa programme around the time that the coronavirus pandemic flared up in China.


In a televised address on Tuesday, President Duterte promised to carry out an investigation into corruption in all government agencies.

why they want stay in Philippines?

 

[Zapper]

Good riddance

 

[Kai Liu]

What do you want to say? Pathetic indian beggar?
Hard-working Chinese nationals are earning money everywhere, including those more backward places such as Sub-saharan Africa and shxthole india...e.g., All your electricity in your beggar land are generated by Chinese equipment backed by hundreds of Chinese technicians...
Some losers always want to make trouble to us, but they also depend on us, because they are useless and can't achieve anything just like indians, how pathetic...

 

[CAPRICORN-88]

If it is true, all these 3000 criminals will be detained and investigated the minute they landed in China.
Otherwise just another make believe propaganda and a complete waste of our time.

 

[tower9]

Good. They’re probably dirtbag criminals involved with illegal gambling or drugs

 

[vi-va]

If it's fake new, just ignore it.
If it's true. Thanks you, Philippines.

I received many overseas scam phone calls. Lock them up in China prisons forever. No mercy.

But one thing I can tell you, even if it's true, most likely Taiwanese.

 

[Globenim]

lmao now watch the Hindu grapes with hundredthousands of illegal migrants all over the world act all shocked and like as if this doesnt happen hundred times every day with nationals from every part in the world in dozen countries all over Asia and screech their retarded "whataboutism" nonargument buzzword whenever anyone points out their halftruths and hypocrisy.

 

[mike2000 is back]

According to a May 2020 report, about 90,000 Chinese nationals work in the country’s online gambling industry alone, and many were suspected to have availed the programme, skirting the more complicated labour visa application process.


Online gambling operation is banned in China.

Why do they ban it? People will always find a way around it. It's leading to more shadow/shady deals to get around the ban and driving hundreds of thousands or even millions of wealthy Chinese to travel abroad to spend their money on such games , leading to hundreds of millions/billions being siphoned off the country overseas to the benefit of other countries. Making it legal will reduce risk of thugs getting involved and reduce shady seals, since the government will have more control over the industry.
Seriously the party seems to make some silly laws sometimes. People who want to gamble will always find a way to do that. Better make it legal and have government control over it to make it more clean/functional. Etc.

 

[tower9]

If it's fake new, just ignore it.
If it's true. Thanks you, Philippines.

I received many overseas scam phone calls. Lock them up in China prisons forever. No mercy.

But one thing I can tell you, even if it's true, most likely Taiwanese.

Are you deluded? They aren’t Taiwanese? A lot of mainland gangs run around Southeast Asia involved with illegal activities and constantly disrespect the locals, they are deeply resented.

 

[vi-va]

Are you deluded? They aren’t Taiwanese? A lot of mainland gangs run around Southeast Asia involved with illegal activities and constantly disrespect the locals, they are deeply resented.

Taiwan is one of the main source of phone scam. China is huge, 1.4 billion people, so the portion of population in Taiwan doing scam is much higher than in China.
When you do scam and caught in China, you are finished. When you do the same $hit in Taiwan, you are totally fine. That's the difference.