A steely resolve to enforce our laws as we see fit
In the past few months, government agents, specifically the National Bureau of Investigation, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and environmental authorities conducted joint operations on several steel manufacturing facilities across the country.
Among the high-profile raids were on Sanjia Steel Corp. in Misamis Oriental and on Davao Mighty Steel Corp. in Davao City. In the Sanjia raid in May, 70 undocumented Chinese nationals were arrested.
The violations that authorities found in these steel plants have prompted them to place dozens of other steel plants under surveillance.
For example, authorities found that some plants were producing reinforcing steel bars (rebars) that failed to meet Philippine national standards. Investigators are now looking into whether the use of substandard materials contributed to structural failures in buildings—including schools, government offices, hospitals, and homes—damaged by recent earthquakes in Mindanao.
An even more alarming development was the discovery of radioactive materials. In the Davao raid, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute detected unlicensed radioactive isotopes in finished rebars, furnace materials, black sand, and plant waste.
Labor issues reminiscent of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), which had been banned in the Philippines since last year, were also unearthed.
For example, hundreds of Filipino workers were reportedly found working under hazardous conditions without basic personal protective equipment. In contrast, their foreign managers had access to proper safety gear. Subsequent medical screenings have reportedly identified health concerns and possible radioactive exposure among workers. So far, these have prompted treatment and decontamination.
As can be expected, China’s reaction to these raids was combative. In retaliation, China threatened to arrest more than 100 Filipino workers in China over alleged immigration and work violations if its detained nationals were not released.
The Chinese embassy also questioned and challenged the Philippine government’s enforcement actions, accusing it of being discriminatory and selective. Why, for instance, were the Chinese workers arrested and transported, but Filipino workers were released on the site?
Moreover, China disputed the authenticity of photos showing safety violations. Some had been staged, it claimed.
The Philippines, through Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr., hit back—and rightly so. He accused the Chinese embassy of acting like a public relations firm for illegal enterprises and individuals. Tony Yang, for instance, the former owner of Sanjio, has been previously linked to Pogos.
Teodoro also described the threats China made against Filipino workers as “extortion and blackmail” and “revenge arrests.”
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China’s angry reactions are not new. We know them too well. Every time the Philippines stands up for itself or pushes back against incursions by China, China without fail resorts to pressure or retaliatory measures to influence policy and the action of our officials. Recall, for instance, China’s earlier attempts to pressure Teodoro over his firm position on the West Philippine Sea.
These incidents reek of a familiar pattern: using measures against Philippine officials or citizens to try to influence how the Philippine government conducts itself on matters of national interest.
How dare this giant neighbor of ours lecture us on how to enforce our own laws within our own territory? Philippine agencies and courts must be free to enforce domestic laws based on evidence and established legal procedures.
It is only China that makes the matter look and sound like an anti-Chinese move. It is not so. Philippine authorities would have effected the raids and made the arrests, as they should, whether the people inside the compounds were Chinese or any other nationality. Chinese nationals and Filipino-Chinese communities should not be unfairly targeted or stigmatized because of the actions of particular individuals or companies.
This is the yarn that is being spread just so our authorities’ legitimate and well-founded actions can be challenged in the court of public opinion. And the Philippines should not allow such tactics, whether directed at officials defending the West Philippine Sea, or agencies enforcing domestic laws.
China’s objective is to undermine our sovereignty and independent decision-making. Then and now, we remain unbowed by any pressure to halt, weaken, or compromise lawful investigations, through outright threats or the more insidious foreign information manipulation and interference. The previous administration may have operated under a policy of appeasement toward China. It should never happen under the current or any administration.
The rule of law, our own due process, and our enforcement decisions toward public safety will never be swayed by any consideration, much less the prodding not just of China but any foreign government. That is our steely resolve.
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Dindo Manhit is the founder and CEO of Stratbase Group.
