DICT to Investigate 400 Alleged Overstaying Chinese Nationals Working for DITO

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has launched a formal investigation into claims that 400 Chinese nationals employed by DITO Telecommunity Corp. may be working in the Philippines without valid working visas.

DICT Assistant Secretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso acknowledged that the agency only became aware of the issue after columnist Ramon Tulfo posted on Facebook alleging that these Chinese workers had overstayed their tourist visas while working for DITO, raising potential national security concerns.

In response, Paraiso confirmed that the DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) will spearhead the probe, in collaboration with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Bureau of Immigration.

“Since this involves a telecommunications company, we must also ensure no misuse of our ICT infrastructure by individuals who are not legally authorized to work in the country,” Paraiso said.

DITO Telecommunity, launched in 2021, is a major telecom player in the Philippines. It is 60% owned by Dennis Uy’s DITO CME Holdings Corp., and 40% by China Telecommunications Corp.

DITO’s media team responded that they are currently discussing the matter internally.