Filipino Chinese Chamber Meets Justice and NBI Officials, Urges Pause in Chinatown Mall Raids Over the Christmas Season
The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry met a Philippine justice undersecretary and the National Bureau of Investigation's chief of staff on November 11, saying shopping malls in Manila's Chinatown have faced frequent surprise raids by the Bureau of Immigration and the NBI, and asking that such operations be paused around the Christmas season. Philippine officials responded positively, and the two sides agreed to set up a regular communication mechanism.
The federation said many shoppers holding valid documents, and even Filipino citizens, have been taken away during the raids; foot traffic in the Chinatown district has fallen noticeably and merchants are under growing pressure. It urged the agencies to consider the area's tourism image during the Christmas shopping season. According to Chinaqw, a Chinese couple on their honeymoon in the Philippines were previously taken away while shopping at a Chinatown mall.
The 999 and 168 shopping malls in Manila's Chinatown host large numbers of new-immigrant merchants, mostly in wholesale and retail, and are important offline supply and pickup points for Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers in the Philippines. In early September this year, immigration officers raided the two malls and took a number of people away.
(Source: Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry)
Source: 菲华商联总会
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：马尼拉华人区王彬街的亲善门牌坊（2026年11月8日摄）。照片：P1898，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Arch of Goodwill on Ongpin Street in Manila's Chinatown, photographed on November 8, 2026. Photo by P1898, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
