China threatened to arrest PH workers over steel firm raid, Senate told

MANILA, Philippines— The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr. told a Senate hearing Thursday that China had threatened to arrest Filipino workers in the country if the Philippines did not release Chinese nationals arrested during a May raid on a steel manufacturing facility in Misamis Oriental.

Sixty-nine Chinese nationals were arrested when joint government forces led by the Paocc raided Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation inside the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan town over alleged violations of immigration, labor and environmental laws.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila protested the raid, as noted by Sen. Risa Hontiveros during a joint hearing in the Senate led by the committee on economic affairs.

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“During their visit to my office Madam chair, yan ang isang masakit because after our conversation sinabihan po tayo na there is a threat na huhulihin din ang mga Fillipino sa bansa nila pag hindi natin pinakawalan ang mga Chinesen workers,” Acorda said.

(During their visit to my office, Madam Chair, that was one of the things that really hurt because after our conversation, we were told that there was a threat to arrest Filipinos in their country if we did not release the Chinese workers.)

The Paocc chief did not say, however, who made the threat and when it was made.

This did not sit well with Hontiveros, who heads the economic affairs panel, saying the Philippines should protest such threats or retaliation for legitimate law enforcement operations.

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“Not something to be appreciated at all yung mga ganyang banta o simple retaliation para sa legitimate law enforcement operations dito sa ating bansa,” she said.

(Those kinds of threats or simple retaliation for legitimate law enforcement operations in our country are certainly not something to be appreciated at all.)

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“Pero hindi yata ito unang pagkakataon na nangyari yan, yang mga pambabanta dito sa loob ng ating bansa mula sa embahadang iyon and I know that also from personal experience. So just to note it’s something to be protested talaga,” the senator said.

(But I don’t think this is the first time that has happened—those kinds of threats here in our country coming from that embassy. And I know that from personal experience as well. So, just to note, it’s something that really needs to be protested.)

As to Hontiveros’ query why there were many Chinese nationals working for that steel company, Acorda said it was also one of their questions, although Paocc’s initial verification with the Bureau of Immigration showed they had valid working permits.

“Isa lang po ang pinagtataka ko kasi on the second day of the operation, right then and then ay may kopya na ang embahada ng China. Kumpleto sila ng dokumento. Parang mas nauna pa silang nakakuha ng dokumento kaysa sa amin,” Acorda said.

(The only thing I found puzzling was that on the second day of the operation, the Chinese Embassy already had copies of the documents. They had complete documentation. It seemed like they obtained the documents even before we did.) /dl