Metro Manila, Philippines – More than 100 Filipinos have faced immigration action in China in what sources said was in retaliation to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., with Filipino workers in Hong Kong and Macao potentially at risk of further measures if tensions with Beijing escalate.
The information was first reported by Manila-based Chinese-language newspaper Chinese Commercial News (菲律賓商報) and was independently confirmed by NewsWatch Plus sources.
The sources said China is considering further action against Filipinos in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as possible economic and trade measures against the Philippines, if Teodoro continues what they described as his “anti-China” approach.
China has not officially announced such measures against Filipinos in Hong Kong and Macao.
China confirms action vs 100+ Filipinos
China’s Foreign Ministry had already announced on Aug. 10 that immigration authorities launched a special operation involving more than 100 Philippine citizens.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Filipinos were dealt with in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations for alleged illegal employment and overstaying.
The Foreign Ministry did not publicly say the operation was connected to Teodoro.
Chinese Commercial News, however, reported on Aug. 12 that sources familiar with the matter described the action as a targeted countermeasure against Teodoro over a series of Philippine actions involving Chinese nationals.
According to the Chinese newspaper, the immigration operations involving Filipinos began as early as July.
Its source claimed Beijing initially refrained from publicizing the actions amid signs of improvement in China-Philippines relations and ahead of regional diplomatic meetings.
Arrests of Chinese workers cited
The Chinese report traced the dispute to a Philippine law enforcement operation in May involving 70 Chinese workers at Sanjia Steel in Misamis Oriental.
Beijing has previously accused Teodoro of leading what it described as discriminatory enforcement against the Chinese nationals.
It claimed the workers possessed valid passports and work visas but were arrested and held under poor conditions. The report alleged that 13 people were confined in a space measuring only five square meters.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said that that the incident raised suspicions of “discriminatory” law enforcement practice against its nationals.
West Philippine Sea tensions
The dispute also extends to Teodoro’s position on the West Philippine Sea.
The Chinese newspaper’s source accused the defense chief of directing military and law enforcement personnel to create confrontations around Ayungin Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc during regional meetings in late July.
The Philippines has maintained that its operations in the West Philippine Sea are legitimate exercises of its rights under international law.
The 2016 arbitral ruling rejected the legal basis for China’s sweeping claims over much of the South China Sea. Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling.
HK, Macao workers at risk
The Chinese report also raised the possibility that the dispute could affect the large Filipino workforce in Hong Kong and Macao.
The source claimed more than 200,000 Filipinos work in the two territories and alleged that some were engaged in activities inconsistent with the purposes of their stay, while others had overstayed.
If Teodoro continues what the source described as an “anti-China” path, China could take action against Filipinos engaged in illegal employment or overstaying in Hong Kong and Macao, according to the report.
NewsWatch Plus sources confirmed that further countermeasures are being considered.
The Chinese newspaper’s source also raised the possibility of economic and trade measures against the Philippines.
The development comes after China imposed sanctions on Teodoro and members of his immediate family amid continuing tensions with the Philippine defense chief.
The measure bars Teodoro and his immediate family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao and restrict transactions involving them.
The defense chief shrugged off the actions imposed by Beijing.
“I have no assets in China and I have no plans to go there. I would like to visit because the food is good and the people are kind, but that is overshadowed by the kind of government they have,” Teodoro said in a June 3 interview.
NewsWatch Plus has sought comment from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Migrant Workers and Department of National Defense.
