THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said that it has detained three Chinese nationals that were caught by authorities in Cagayan de Oro City for engaging in illegal mining operations.
BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr., said that the aliens were arrested last January 30 when he dispatched a team of immigration agents to pick up the miners who were about to be released after posting bail in court.
David said the three Chinese, whom he named as Meng Changseng, Wu Peng and Yu Pengze, could not present their passports but had ACR I-Cards showing that they are mere tourists.
“They are undergoing deportation proceedings for violating our immigration laws,” the BI chief said, adding that the aliens were charged for being improperly documented and for violating the conditions of their stay as tourists by working here without permits.
David, however, stressed that the aliens will not be deported pending resolution of the criminal case that was filed against them in court.
The three were arrested late last month by elements from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
They were caught in the act of extracting minerals from a site in Barangay Tumpagon, Cagayan de Oro City without the necessary mining permits and also facing charges of charges of violating the country’s mining act.
Their lawyer managed to immediately post bail for their temporary liberty, which prompted the CIDG to inform the BI about the foreigners’ case.