The Alien Employment Permit (AEP) granted 41,993 permits in 2016 to foreign nationals, mostly Chinese nationals, who intend to work in the Philippines. /Inquirer file photo
OPPOSITION Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday said she has a filed resolution urging the Senate to probe the influx of Chinese nationals working in the Philippines.
De Lima said Chinese nationals who move into the country not only steal jobs from ordinary Filipinos but also trigger a surge in property prices in commercial areas.
“With the influx of Chinese nationals employed and residing in the Philippines, there is a dangerous possibility of the real estate market pricing out Filipinos out of their homes, especially in areas near businesses that heavily employs Chinese nationals, like casinos and resorts,” De Lima said in a statement.
The detained senator wants the Senate to see if the government can properly enforce immigration and labor laws.
De Lima cited a 33.4 percent increase – from 28,371 in 2015 to 41,993 in 2016 – in the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) granted to foreign nationals who intend to work in the Philippines.
She also cited reports that of the 1,508 foreigners deported in 2017 by immigration authorities, 1,248 were Chinese nationals.