Authorities separately arrested two overstaying aliens in Basilan and this city, a top military official said Friday.
Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci, Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) commander, identified the foreigners as Zain Ul Abideen, a Pakistani, and Rafshad Cherikal Phutiyapurayil, an Indian.
Abideen was arrested by military and Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel Wednesday in Sitio Sunset, Barangay Tabuk, Isabela City, Basilan province.
Abideen—who uses the aliases Khaler, Khan, and Jhen—is temporarily residing in Barangay Panigayan, Malamawi Island, Isabela City.
Adaci said Abideen was monitored selling plastic wares and cigarettes and is engaged in a money lending business on Malamawi Island.
Abideen was monitored frequently visiting the towns of Maluso and Sumisip, the Navy official added.
Also on Wednesday, joint military, police, and BI operatives nabbed Phutiyapurayil at a shopping mall in Barangay Putik.
Daci said the Pakistani was taken to the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) office in Camp Gen. Eduardo Batalla.
Allegedly, Abideen has been staying in the country for six years, while Phutiyapurayil for three years.
Adaci said the operation against the two foreigners is in line with the national government’s crackdown on undocumented foreigners who might be involved in illegal activities and pose a threat to the peace and security.
Source: Philippines News Agency
