Raided steel factories entry points for Chinese illegals—AFP

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad answers questions during his guest appearance at the Saturday News Forum on August 29, 2026. (Courtesy: House of Representatives / Screenshot)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said steel factories recently raided by law enforcers might have been used as entry points for Chinese nationals seeking to illegally enter and stay in the country.

Meanwhile, a retired US Navy intelligence officer warned that China could seek to occupy Scarborough Shoal by the end of the decade after laying political, economic and legal groundwork for possible coercive action in the disputed South China Sea.

“It is a possible point of entry for undocumented Chinese nationals who could spread around and cause grave threats to national security,” said Navy reservist and AFP spokesman for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said on the Saturday News Forum.

Authorities recently swooped down on the Sanjia Steel Corp. in Misamis Oriental over reports that the facility was substandard. They found 69 Chinese workers in the plant, many of whom are undocumented.

The Sanjia firm was one of five steel plants raided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation, with the AFP providing additional support.

Trinidad said the Misamis Oriental steel factory was located near a Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation Industrial Authority, an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement site, the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and the Laguindingan International Airport.

He likened it to how Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators were placed near critical government infrastructure.

According to Trinidad, around 500 steel plants were closed in China over substandard materials and some of them relocated to the Philippines.

Scarborough shoal “final link”

Capt. Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center near Pearl Harbor, said China’s growing military, coast guard and maritime militia presence around Scarborough shoal suggests Beijing views the feature as the “final link” in its expanding network of positions across the South China Sea.

Speaking at an online forum organized by the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea (NYMWPS), Schuster said he does not expect China to immediately launch a military operation to seize Scarborough Shoal. However, he warned that Beijing could instead employ coercive tactics to pressure the Philippines into allowing Chinese construction in the area.

Rather than an outright military takeover, Schuster said Beijing could initially employ so-called gray-zone tactics to force Manila to submit to Chinese construction or other activities around the shoal.

He said China’s expanding surveillance network, including radar systems, aircraft, Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia boats, could eventually give Beijing a significant advantage in monitoring activity across the South China Sea.

“It’s very clear that China hopes to maintain a surveillance advantage over the South China Sea so that should they decide to control it, they can,” he said. — Rex Espiritu