BI arrests Taiwanese fugitive in Pasay

PASAY CITY, Philippines—The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the arrest of a Taiwanese fugitive in an enforcement operation conducted in Pasay City as part of the government’s intensified campaign against immigration violators and foreign fugitives.

In the first operation, agents of the BI Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation–Organized and Transnational Crime Division (NBI-OTCD), arrested Chien Wen-Chieh, 33, a Taiwanese national, along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City on the evening of January 28.

Chien was apprehended pursuant to a duly issued mission order following official communication from Taiwanese authorities, which identified him as a fugitive from justice.

Records show that Chien is the subject of an arrest warrant issued on August 31, 2023 by the Taiwan Miaoli District Prosecutor’s Office for theft.

BI database verification revealed that Chien last entered the Philippines in 2023 as a temporary visitor but failed to extend or convert his visa, rendering him an overstaying and undesirable alien. The BI said his continued presence posed a risk to public safety and security.

Chien was committed to the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility while facing deportation proceedings.