PH a ‘battleground’ of crimes involving Chinese—PNP
The Philippines has become a “battleground” of crimes involving Chinese nationals, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said on Monday.
“We respect the opinion of the Chinese official, but one thing is clear here. We see that they are fighting in our country. The victim is Chinese, the perpetrator is also Chinese,” Torre told reporters. “We are just being used as a battleground and we will not allow it.”
The PNP chief was responding to the Chinese Ministry of Education’s advisory to its students to be wary of security risks in Manila, which saw a spate of crimes committed by Chinese nationals against their compatriots.
Torre said that the national police has taken measures to stop this wave of crimes, citing the arrest of Wang Dan Yu for the alleged killing of Liu Jiabin in a Makati City restaurant in October 2024.
Yu, also known as Bao Long, was arrested at 12:30 a.m. on July 19 while on board a speedboat en route to Barangay Nalil in Bongao town, Tawi-Tawi province.
“At the end of the day, we are doing everything to stop this narrative, to stop this situation, and we are now showing the results. We arrested Chinese suspects and their victims are also Chinese nationals,” Torre said.
‘Security risks’
The Chinese Ministry of Education had urged students to “assess the security risks” of studying in the Philippines in an overseas study alert it issued on July 18.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also cited “rising safety risks” in the Philippines, including an increase in crimes, stop-and-search operations, and alleged harassment targeting Chinese nationals, as the basis for the alert.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the advisory “mischaracterizes the situation” in the country.
“All instances of crimes, including those involving Chinese and other foreign nationals as well as those perpetrated by foreign nationals against their own, are being addressed by relevant law enforcement authorities,” the DFA said on Sunday.
“The Philippine government has been engaging with foreign embassies, including the Chinese Embassy, regarding these cases in good faith,” it added.
