PNP: 4 Chinese fugitives among rescued workers in Las Piñas raid

Police have discovered four Chinese fugitives among the rescued workers from the raid in a Las Piñas City establishment last June 27, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said Monday.

“Kasama po doon sa nadiskubre, may apat nga pong Chinese nationals na wanted po sa China [They discovered four Chinese nationals who are wanted in China],” Fajardo told reporters in an interview.

“Apat po rito ang kanila pong kaso sa China, based po sa record na prinovide ng ating Chinese counterpart, ay involved po sila sa fraud and drug trafficking [Based on the record from our Chinese counterpart, the four were involved in fraud and drug trafficking],” she added.

On June 27, authorities implemented a search warrant in a compound in  Las Piñas over an alleged human trafficking situation.

The police reported that 1,534 Filipinos and 1,190 foreigners were rescued from the raid.

Fajardo said the four Chinese fugitives are set to be turned over to the Chinese Embassy on Monday or in the next few days for their deportation.

According to Fajardo, the documentation of rescued workers is still ongoing.

She said among the challenges in the documentation are language barriers and the workers' lack of cooperation with the authorities.

Fajardo said there are 17 foreign nationalities in the raid.

She said representatives from the embassies of China, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are already coordinating with the PNP to assist their respective citizens.

Meanwhile, the company that was raided, Xinchuang Network Technology, has denied that it is involved in human trafficking.

Atty. Christian Vargas, the firm's legal counsel, told reporters last week that the business of the company is legitimate, and its owners are considering filing a complaint against the police for the raid. —KBK, GMA Integrated News