By el Amigo
PASAY CITY, Philippines — Another alleged case of a foreign national assuming Filipino citizenship has been uncovered after Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives arrested a Chinese national carrying a Philippine passport obtained through a purportedly fraudulent birth certificate.
Yao Shucheng, 36, was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 shortly after arriving from Hanoi, Vietnam, at 6:40 a.m. Sunday, November 8.
The BI identified him as a Chinese citizen who allegedly operated under the Filipino name Lee King Agbulos, using March 20, 1992, as his declared birth date instead of his actual birth date of March 20, 1990.
Immigration authorities said Yao managed to obtain an authentic Philippine passport after allegedly securing a birth certificate under his assumed Filipino identity.
The case illustrates the continuing problem of so-called “phantom citizenship,” wherein foreign nationals allegedly use improperly acquired civil registry documents to establish Filipino identities and obtain government-issued identification and travel papers.
However, intelligence reports have raised another serious concern involving the suspect.
The BI said information received by its intelligence unit allegedly connected Yao to a 2024 shooting in Parañaque City that resulted in the deaths of two Chinese nationals. The reported link remains subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities.
Yao’s return to the Philippines came after nearly 21 months abroad. Immigration records indicated that he left Manila on February 21, 2025, before flying back from Vietnam aboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR596.
BI intelligence operatives had reportedly monitored his overseas movements and secured information about his scheduled arrival. They then recommended a Mission Order for his interception.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado approved the order, allowing operatives to apprehend Yao shortly after he arrived at NAIA.
Viado said the bureau considers the misuse of Filipino identities a serious threat to immigration enforcement because such documents can allow foreign nationals to conceal their backgrounds and avoid scrutiny.
“Fraudulent Filipino identities are not just a matter of false documents. They can be used to bypass our immigration controls, conceal a foreign national’s true identity, and evade accountability,” he said.
The commissioner vowed to sustain the BI’s efforts to identify and stop individuals suspected of participating in such schemes.
Yao remains in immigration custody while undergoing formal inquest proceedings. The BI said it would seek his deportation and permanent blacklisting following the completion of the necessary procedures, subject to any criminal proceedings that other law enforcement agencies may initiate.
