Officials arrest 13 Chinese nationals for illegally mining on Homonhon Island in Eastern Samar.
In a report by Inquirer, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said that the arrests were executed around 9:00 a.m. on October 30, following a mission order from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for alleged violations of immigration laws.
The suspects were detained during two coordinated operations involving the PAOCC, BI, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
PAOCC announced that a case build-up will begin against the detainees for potential infractions of environmental laws, labor laws related to illegally obtained alien employment permits, and taxation laws concerning fraudulent tax identification numbers.
The 13 individuals were taken to the PNP Regional Office in Palo, Leyte, for medical examinations and subsequent detention.
They are set to be transferred to Manila for further investigation by the Bureau of Immigration.
