Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Monday raised alarm over the alleged enlistment of businessman Joseph Sy in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), comparing his case to that of ousted Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo for reportedly posing as a Filipino.
Hontiveros said Sy, chairperson of Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc., was recently detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after being identified as Chen Zhong Zhen, a 60-year-old Chinese national accused of fraudulently acquiring Philippine identity documents.
“This looks like Alice Guo Part 2: pretending to be Filipino with a fake passport and bogus IDs. There are still loopholes in our nationality process. While PCGA is a voluntary and non-government unit, it is alarming that Sy had access to people and events where national security could be discussed,” Hontiveros said.
The BI confirmed to that Chen was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on August 21 after arriving from Hong Kong on a Cathay Pacific flight.
He was apprehended based on a mission order following intelligence reports about his allegedly fraudulent Philippine documents.
Hontiveros said Sy joined the PCGA in 2018 and even received an honorary rank during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
“Hindi lang lokal na pamahalaan ang pinasok, nakalapit na din sa mismong coast guard — ang mismong naatasang pangalagaan ang seguridad ng ating dagat. Kapag nalulusutan ang ating mga institusyon at papeles, nalulusutan rin ang ating soberanya,” Hontiveros added.
Hontiveros also pointed out that in 2016, during Duterte’s state visit to China, Sy’s company entered into a partnership with Chinese state-owned Baiyin Nonferrous Group Co., Ltd. for mining operations in Palawan, a sensitive area amid the Philippines-China maritime dispute.
The senator called for a Senate probe into Sy’s affiliations, background, and how he obtained Philippine documents, stressing the need to identify who enabled him and the extent of his network.
The PCG has yet to issue a statement on whether Sy remains part of the auxiliary unit.
