Arrested mining exec born and bred in China

Joseph Sy, a mining executive arrested over fraudulent Philippine citizenship, was born and raised in China, a Senate panel found yesterday.

- By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

Sy's alleged links with the Communist Party of China were also flagged by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

Authorities arrested the chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. on Aug. 21 for allegedly using fake documents to secure Philippine citizenship and a post in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA).

In a privilege speech, Hontiveros said Sy, whose Chinese name is Chen Zhong Zhen, is the honorary chair of the Philippine Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (PSRCIC).

Photos showed Sy attending the CPC and World Political Parties Summit in 2021 as a ranking official of the PSRCIC.

Sy’s group is also involved in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, Hontiveros said.

A Chinese news outlet’s feature on Sy identified him as Shi Zhenzhong, a native of Donghua village in Fujian province who moved to the Philippines at the age of 17, rose to prominence and donated funds for parks and schools in his hometown.

Hontiveros flagged Sy’s companies for exporting the country’s raw nickel to China at his smelting plant, Guangdong Century Tsingshan Nickel Industry Co.

Sy’s Ipilan Nickel Corp. operated without a mayor’s permit and despite a canceled environmental compliance certificate in Palawan, she said.

The senator questioned the presence of Sy’s company in Palawan, the province on the frontline of the maritime conflict with China due to its proximity to the Spratly Islands.

“When a person of questionable citizenship operates in this sector, we are effectively allowing foreign actors to strip our land of wealth while exploiting vulnerabilities and loopholes in our own system,” she said.

Sy’s fingerprints provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs matched a Chinese national’s Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card from the Bureau of Immigration (BI).