The Defense Minister of the Philippines, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, has demanded this Saturday from the Chinese Government detailed explanations about the alleged involvement of Chinese nationals in illegal activities in Philippine territory, as well as the alleged detention in China of nearly a hundred Filipinos in irregular migration status.
"The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to evade the crucial question," Teodoro declared in a statement, reported by the Filipino newspaper 'The Inquirer'. "Were these people (detained in the Philippines) involved in illegal activities? The answer, plain and simple, is yes," he added.
The Defense official recalled the case of the 69 Chinese citizens arrested last May during an operation at a steel plant located in the town of Tagoloan, in the southwest of the archipelago, where the alleged production of low-quality material, the storage of radioactive substances, and environmental contamination through toxic emissions and untreated wastewater discharges were being investigated.
As Teodoro explained, in that operation, Philippine authorities obtained "irrefutable and legally admissible evidence" thanks to valid search warrants issued by local courts.
These statements come after the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, defended Beijing's actions regarding more than 100 Filipinos who were residing irregularly in Chinese territory, emphasizing that foreigners must respect the legislation of the host country.
Guo stated that citizens of other countries are obliged to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, and stressed that the measures applied by immigration authorities "are not directed at any particular country."
At the same time, he accused Teodoro of politically using the Philippine Armed Forces in the "seizure and detention" of Chinese citizens, whom, according to Beijing's version, were considered to be working legally in the Philippines.
Teodoro has also denounced that China continues to fail to respond clearly about whether officials from its Embassy in Manila participated directly in the deportation processes and whether they threatened the affected Filipinos with reprisals.
"The answer, as revealed in a Senate hearing, is yes," he concluded.