By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Amid the tensions at the West Philippine Sea, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros has expressed alarm that there are now some Chinese Nationals who were able to get birth certificates and government-issued IDs to be able to get passports as Filipino citizens lending credence to earlier warning made by former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III that there are Chinese “sleeper cells” in the Philippines.
This possibility of having Chinese “sleeper cells” surfaced as Hontiveros dared China to order its vessels to leave the WPS following its complaint of the recent Philippine-US joint maritime patrols.
“It has always been China who stirs up trouble in the West Philippine Sea, not the Philippines. Our country should be free to patrol our waters with whomever we choose, whenever we want. This is our right as a sovereign nation,” Hontiveros stressed in her statement.
The democratic socialist senator added that as an advocate of multilateralism in our foreign relations, she has long called for joint patrols with other nations, not just the US.
“I would also welcome joint maritime exercises with our neighbors in Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, India, and other naval powers who are committed to a rules-based order in the West Philippine Sea and the entire South China Sea,” Hontiveros said.
Earlier, she revealed the “Filipino citizenship racket” involving some Chinese nationals.
“Ang mas nakakatakot pa ngayon ay ang natuklasan namin sa aming imbestigasyon patungkol sa mga Chinese employees ng mga POGO. Naibunyag sa hearing na may mga Chinese nationals na bumibili ng Filipino birth certificate at mga government-issued IDs para magkaroon ng Philippine passport, para maging Pilipino. Umaabot pa nga daw ng P500,000 per passport ang kalakal,” Hontiveros revealed.
Following the arrest of two Chinese nationals in Pasig City for illegal possession of high-powered firearms on Oct. 13, Alunan alleged that the arrest means that China has prepositioned its clandestine forces in the Philippines amid the tense situation in the WPS.
The Chinese embassy in the Philippines has strongly denied Alunan III’s allegation that there are Chinese “sleeper cells” in the Philippines.
(ai/mnm)
