The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reviewing the citizenship records of nickel businessman Joseph Sy or Johnson Chua Sy amid allegations he misrepresented himself as a Filipino.
This developed after Senator Risa Hontiveros last week alleged that Joseph Sy is supposedly involved in malign influence and foreign interference (MIFI) activities and that his son possessed two active passports – one Chinese and one Filipino – and two different birth certificates that bore different details about his parents.
“Dual identities are red flags. If proven fraudulent, they will be dealt with swiftly and firmly under our laws,” BI Commissioner Joel Viado said in a news release.
“Our duty is clear: to protect the integrity of Philippine citizenship and our national security,” said Viado.
The BI earlier said it is looking into the documentation of other individuals around Sy.
It can be recalled that the BI claimed that 60-year-old Chen Zhong Zhen, who was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Terminal 3 on August 21 for misrepresenting himself as a Filipino, is Sy, the chairman of Global Ferronickels Holdings Inc.
Previously, Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. maintained that allegations against Sy had no lawful basis and stressed that Sy “is a Filipino citizen as affirmed by multiple rulings by government agencies and institutions.”
It added that upon his latest arrival in Manila, Sy presented his valid Philippine passport, an official proof of his nationality, and that he was never involved in any criminal activity.
Hontiveros previously raised concerns about Sy’s enlistment in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Auxiliary. She said Sy is pretending to be a Filipino, similar to Alice Guo, the former mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, who is now facing several cases over her links to an illegal POGO hub and citizenship issues.
The PCG said it has delisted Sy from its Auxiliary unit over his alleged misrepresentation of his citizenship.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
