Chinese man accused of groping three girls at Philippine theme park, prompting angry backlash
- Recent arrests have drawn attention to the tensions caused by the influx of Chinese workers into the Philippines
- Some residents claim Chinese nationals are taking jobs and contributing to unwelcome inflation in the property market
A young man from mainland China has been charged in Manila with “acts of lasciviousness” after three girls accused him of groping them inside a horror house at a Pasay City theme park last week.
A police statement revealed the case had taken a twist: five policemen involved were sacked for allegedly urging the victims to agree to a settlement instead of filing molestation charges. An investigation was underway to determine whether the officers received a share of the settlement money, said Metro Manila police chief Guillermo Lorenzo T Eleazar.
Zhang Yang is the second Chinese national to end up in jail in the Philippines recently. Fashion student Jiale Zhang – no relation to Zhang Yang – was charged with direct assault, unjust vexation and disobeying authority after she flung a cup of taho, a soybean dessert drink, at a police officer who informed her that liquids could not be consumed on Philippine trains.
“I really admit the mistake I made and I feel so regretful,” she told GMA News.
I really admit the mistake I made and I feel so regretful
A Metro Manila police spokesperson said law enforcement officers had not seen an increase in criminal cases involving Chinese nationals.
“Only minor, isolated incidents have been noted so far,” the spokesperson said.
Figures from the Metro Manila police, however, showed there were 101 crimes committed by Chinese nationals from November 2018 to January 2019 – double the number in the same period the previous year. Offences ranged from damage to property, theft and swindling.
The arrests have drawn attention to the tensions caused by the influx of Chinese workers into the Philippines.
Some residents claim Chinese nationals are taking jobs and contributing to unwelcome inflation in the property market. Official data showed 2.3 million people in the Philippines were unemployed as of July 2018.
Of the 53,311 AEPs issued by DOLE from 2016 to May 2018, 18,557 permits were granted to Chinese nationals in “administrative and supports service activities”; 10,560 in “arts, entertainment and recreation”, which includes gambling, online and offline; 7,754 in “information and communication”; 4,716 in manufacturing; and 2,884 in construction.
“Your records show you are issuing few alien employment permits [AEPs] but there’s a flood [of Chinese workers] and from their numbers, it’s clear there are illegal workers,” Villanueva told the senate session.
Chinese workers have been lured to these companies with the promise of wages of up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,470) a month in the first year, rising to 14,000 yuan and 17,000 yuan in the second and third years.
But last year, The Beijing News published a report exposing how Chinese workers lured to the Philippines online gambling scene had their passports confiscated so they could not escape from the country; were crammed into tiny bedrooms; not allowed to have meal breaks of longer than 30 minutes; and were banned from going to the toilet for longer than 10 minutes.
Additional reporting by Michael Beltran
