SENATOR LEILA M. De Lima has called for an investigation into the influx of Chinese nationals employed and residing in the Philippines, which she said has not only taken jobs from Filipinos but also triggered a property price surge in urban areas.
Senate Resolution No. 751, filed by the incarcerated Ms. De Lima on May 29, urged the appropriate Senate committee to assess the effective implementation of existing immigration and labor laws to ensure that Filipinos are protected against adverse effect caused by the Chinese immigration surge.
“The increasingly laxed control mechanisms over the influx of Chinese nationals in the Philippines have led to concerns on whether we have enough capability to properly enforce our immigration and labor laws to the detriment of our national interest,” she said in a statement.
The senator noted that more than 50 offshore gambling companies catering to overseas Chinese punters have received permits to operate in Manila, employing about 200,000 predominantly Chinese workers.
She also cited government data indicating that, “Chinese nationals consistently comprised most of the AEP (Alien Employment Permits) holders from 2013 to 2016 — growing to 45 percent (18,920) in 2016 from 23.7 percent in 2013.”
Ms. De Lima claims that this immigration surge has resulted to lower employment opportunities for Filipinos and increased prices in the real estate market.
She also said the government needs to review its capability to enforce immigration and labor policies, noting that 1,248 Chinese nationals were deported in 2017 alone.
“There is also the danger of our economy being too dependent on Chinese tourists and clients where any change in policies by China government could effectively stall, if not cripple, our local economy,” she said.
China comprised the Philippine’s second biggest tourist market in 2017 with 968,447 arrivals, higher by 43.33% from the previous year. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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