By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. chairperson Joseph Sy is facing a deportation complaint for supposed falsification of his Filipino citizenship, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Wednesday.
A deportation case is under process against the 60-year-old businessman, who was arrested by the BI at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Aug. 21 after his biometrics matched those of a Chinese citizen, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a radio interview.
“We are still in the initial (stages) of his deportation case,” she said. “We are also checking if he has other pending cases in the country, which we are expecting, because if there are citizenship issues, his other documents might also be questioned under the Philippine Passport Act.”
Sandoval noted that a deportation complaint was filed against Sy in 2015, but it did not prosper for lack of evidence.
“If a foreign national wants to become a Filipino, he has to be naturalized. In this case, he claimed that he is natural-born Filipino, when in fact he is not even naturalized,” she added.
The BI is also checking on the nationality of Sy’s family members.
“We will be looking at the status of his family members,” she said. (PNA)
