Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has sharply criticized reports that Chinese authorities targeted roughly 100 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in a recent immigration enforcement operation. Teodoro characterized Beijing’s actions as a form of blackmail and extortion designed to exert political pressure on Manila.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry defended the crackdown, maintaining that the affected Filipinos were residing and working within China without valid legal documentation.
However, Teodoro countered that the sudden sweep appears to be a direct tit-for-tat reaction to recent Philippine law enforcement operations that led to the arrest of several Chinese nationals committing illegal acts in the Philippines.
Central to the escalating dispute is a recent multi-agency operation against the Phi-Sanjia Steel facility in Misamis Oriental. Philippine investigators discovered that the plant was operating without required legal permits, using potentially hazardous and contaminated raw materials, and operating in close proximity to a developing Philippine Navy installation in Mindanao.
- Diplomatic Protest: The Chinese Embassy voiced strong opposition to the raid, alleging that Philippine authorities were unjustly targeting Chinese citizens.
- Regulatory Shutdown: Rejecting claims of discrimination, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) proceeded with the formal closure of the facility due to severe statutory and environmental breaches.
Teodoro firmly rejected any attempt by Beijing to interfere with or dictate domestic law enforcement procedures inside the Philippines.
He further dismissed efforts to draw an equivalence between the two situations, pointing out that Filipino workers overseas do not possess the resources, intent, or capacity to engage in the widespread, organized violations associated with the Chinese operations uncovered locally.