Recently, the Philippines has seen a nationwide surge in reporting, with foreigners, especially Chinese nationals, being the primary targets. The National Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division recently conducted a sting operation in Pasay City, arresting a man suspected of operating a sex trade and rescuing a Vietnamese woman and two Chinese women.
Official data shows that in the first half of 2025, over 3,400 foreigners were investigated, with more than sixty percent being Chinese, most of whom were arrested after being reported by acquaintances to the immigration office, the NBI, or the police. The motives and authenticity of these reports are rarely verified, and law enforcement often adopts a "catch first, talk later" approach.
On July 15, the NBI arrested nine Chinese parents who came to the Philippines for their children's education at a resort in Malolos City, Bulacan Province. The case was dismissed by the prosecutor due to a discrepancy between the address on the search warrant and the actual location, but the nine were still extorted for millions of pesos, and their documents were confiscated. Questionably, these Chinese nationals had only entered the country on July 13, while the search warrant was issued on July 8. The NBI later disbanded the involved task force and suspended 13 people.
Almost all recent arrests have been shadowed by reports: In the early hours of August 5, a 70-year-old Chinese man who overstayed his visa was captured in Tarlac Province; at the end of July, the NBI used a Chinese informant to crack down on a prostitution case in Pasay City; on August 8, Makati police seized sniper rifles, pistols, and shotguns from two Chinese nationals linked to the gambling industry; on the same day, a fraud den in Parañaque City was raided, and two Chinese suspects were arrested; the Immigration Bureau in Bataan Province caught three Chinese operating under forged identities.
Reporting has even infiltrated intimate relationships and community internals: In Makati, a Chinese man was reported by his Filipino girlfriend for illegal home office operations and involvement in gambling, and although there was no evidence, his passport was still frozen for three months. Landlords, partners, and neighbors might report for rewards. The Philippines has an anonymous reporting reward mechanism, with rewards up to a million pesos, triggering direct law enforcement action, and the reported individuals must prove their innocence.
On August 4, a fraud den in Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Bataan Province was raided, rescuing eight coerced Filipino workers and capturing 20 Chinese suspects. Analysts believe that this wave of reporting is driven by both political and public opinion influences and may continue to escalate in the short term.
