‘Number of undocumented aliens in Caraga increasing’

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines  – An official of the local immigration office yesterday expressed alarm over the growing number of undocumented aliens in the Caraga region, particularly Chinese nationals who are engaged in legal and illegal mining activities.

Pastor Oran Jr., acting alien officer of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) here, told The STAR that he has reported the presence of illegal Chinese nationals, including Taiwanese, to their central office in Manila.

Oran admitted that the lack of personnel at the BI-Caraga field office has hampered efforts to monitor the activities of these illegal aliens.

He said there were even times that he had to borrow intelligence officers from the BI district offices in the cities of Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

“Our office here has only two organic personnel and that includes me. The rest are hired under contractual basis, which is seldom owing to limited funds,” he said.

Oran’s revelation came after police and environment officers of Agusan del Sur arrested last July 13 six Chinese nationals engaged in small-scale mining activities in Barangay Mati, San Francisco town.

Illegal mining operations have reportedly destroyed the river in one of the town’s remote villages near the Mt. Magdiwata watershed.

Police said only two of the six Chinese were identified as Zhang Rongfen and Wei Hongdi, whose BI identification cards have expired last May.

The group’s alleged leader and financier, a certain Jason Lu, managed to escape.