TACLOBAN CITY — Authorities arrested 12 Chinese nationals in a coordinated immigration enforcement operation on October 15, 2025, at Ocean Wave in Barangay 95-A, Caibaan, this city.
The operation, conducted around noon, was carried out by the Bureau of Immigration Region 8 in coordination with the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO), the Regional Intelligence Division (RID), the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA-8), the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), and the Military Intelligence Battalion (MIB).
The arrested individuals were identified through their aliases as “Yan” (47, male), “Xia” (36, female), “Yuan” (43, male), “Zi” (36, male), “Min” (29, female), “Zhu” (36, female), “Mia” (38, female), “Liang” (35, male), “Zheng” (33, male), “Wong” (45, male), “Liao” (54, female), and “Pen” (51, male)—all Chinese nationals temporarily residing in the said barangay.
The arrested individuals were identified as officials and employees of Ocean Wave Communications (Philippines) Corp., also known as Hailang Communications (Philippines) Company, an internet service provider operating in Tacloban City and nearby areas, including Palo, Leyte.
The suspects were apprehended for violating Section 9(a) of Commonwealth Act No. 613, or the Philippine Immigration Act, which prohibits foreigners from engaging in employment without a valid visa or work permit.
Investigators found that several of the Chinese nationals had entered the country using tourist visas and later obtained Alien Employment Permits (AEPs) through the use of invalid Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to secure working visas.
Others were found to have acquired AEPs from different petitioning companies while actually working for Ocean Wave Communications.
Further inquiry also uncovered violations of labor, corporate, and tax laws, including acts of misrepresentation, discrepancies in the company’s articles of incorporation, and the use of incorrect TINs in company records.
The arrested individuals were brought to the BID office and are to face appropriate charges.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
