A Chinese national was arrested in Panglao, Bohol for pretending to be a Filipino and using a professional driver’s license that indicated Filipino citizenship, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
Authorities apprehended the 48‑year‑old man on February 17 after intelligence indicated he might be conducting business in the area using Filipino nominees to bypass constitutional limits on foreign ownership.
Although he held a driver’s license from the Land Transportation Office showing him as a Filipino, BI records confirmed he is a Chinese citizen who last entered the Philippines in 2018 under a Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV). The discrepancy suggests the suspect may have used falsified or misrepresented documents to obtain government IDs.
BI officials emphasized that falsely claiming Filipino citizenship is a serious violation of Philippine law and undermines national sovereignty. The suspect is now detained at a BI facility and will face deportation charges
