MANILA: Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday (Aug 25) raised a national security alarm following the apprehension of businessman Joseph Sy, who allegedly misrepresented himself as a Filipino, revealing that he was appointed to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) service in 2018.
Sy, who chairs the mining company Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc., was recently detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for reportedly holding fraudulently acquired Philippine identity documents.
A PCG document dated July 26, 2018, which was provided by Hontiveros’ office, showed that pursuant to HPCG Memorandum Circular o1-14 dated 06 June 2014, Sy was appointed by then Admiral Elson Hermogino to the service of the PCG Auxiliary Executive Squadron with the honorary rank of Auxiliary Commodore.
“He is like Alice Guo Part 2: he posed as a Filipino, he has a fake passport and fake IDs. It seems that the loopholes in processing our nationality remains. While joining the PCGA is voluntary and non-government, it’s still sad to imagine that Sy managed to access people and events where our national security can be discussed,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
Alice Guo is the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, linked to alleged Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hubs in her town. With little public record of her past, her identity and citizenship have been questioned in Senate probes over possible ties to Chinese syndicates.
“Based on our source, Sy joined PCG in 2018 and received an honorary rank under the previous administration. He gained access not just to the local government, but he also inched closer to the agency itself—the agency tasked go protect the security of our maritime territories. When something gets past through our institutions and documents, our sovereignty is also accessed,” the senator added.
Hontiveros also exposed that during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China in 2016, Sy’s company entered into a partnership with Chinese state-owned enterprise Baiyin Nonferrous Group Co., Ltd.
The agreement involved mining operations in Palawan, a sensitive and strategic location in the ongoing territorial dispute between the Philippines and China.
“What is the real agenda of Joseph Sy? Is he simply conducting business in Palawan, or is there more to his operations than meets the eye?” Hontiveros asked.
According to reports, BI operatives arrested Sy at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Aug. 21, for allegedly misrepresenting his citizenship.
Sy was apprehended by BI intelligence units after arriving at NAIA 3 from Hong Kong onboard a Cathay Pacific flight. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
