PH’s SIRV program being used as ‘ticket’ by foreign criminals

MANILA – Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Thursday called on his colleagues in Congress to amend and upgrade the antiquated Special Investor’s Resident Visa (SIRV) program.

In a news release, Barbers said the country's special visa is now being used as a “ticket” by some foreign drug syndicates, money launderers and other criminal elements to set up their base of operations in the Philippines.

He said unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage of the SIRV program of the Board of Investments (BOI), making the country a haven in the furtherance of their illegal activities.

He said pursuant to Book V of the Omnibus Investment Code (Executive Order No. 226, as amended), the SIRV program requires investors to remit at least USD75,000 into the country and invest in viable economic activities.

“Sa halagang PHP4.8 million (PHP58.51 to USD1), ang isang member ng isang criminal syndicate ay maaari nang pumasok, manatili at gawin ang kanilang illegal na gawain sa ating bansa gamit ang (For PHP4.8 million, a member of criminal syndicate can already enter, remain, and conduct illegal activities in our country using the) SIRV program as cover,” Barbers said.

“At sa mga banyaga, particular na ang mga Chinese drug syndicates at money launderers, ang halaga na PHP4.8 million ay barya na lang sa kasalukuyang panahon kumpara sa kikitain nila sa kanilang illegal na gawain (And for foreigners, particularly the Chinese drug syndicates and money launderers, PHP4.8 million is just small amount in current times compared to what they will earn from their illegal activities),” the chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs said.

He said the SIRV program is also used by many Chinese nationals now manning retail stores in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, selling smuggled cheap goods from China.

“Ito ang mga reklamong nakarating sa atin mula sa mga kababayan nating Filipino-Chinese o Tsinoy na engaged sa local retail businesses. Kundi lugi ay nagsarado na ang marami sa kanila. Hindi na maituturing na investors ang mga Chinese nationals na ito. Dahil nag-dagsaan na sila, mga Tsinoy na ang kanilang ka-kumpetensya sa retail trade (This is the complaint by our Filipino-Chinese [Tsinoy] countrymen engaged in the local retail business. If not losing money, many of them have already closed. These Chinese nationals could no longer be called investors. Because of their sheer number, they are already in direct competition with our Tsinoys in the retail trade),” he said.

Based on latest reports, Barbers said the SIRV program was also the “ticket” allegedly used by Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her parents to enter the country in January 2003 when she was 13 years old.

Based on BOI and Bureau of Immigration records, the real name of Alice Guo was Guo Hua Ping, and was born on Aug. 31, 1990. Her mother was identified as Lin Wenyi based on the SIRV application her family submitted to the BOI.

The House of Representatives is currently investigating the influx of Chinese nationals working in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) firms; involvement in drugs smuggling; acquiring Filipino citizenship using spurious documents; money laundering, fraud, kidnap-for-ransom, and other criminal activities. (PNA)