Hontiveros flags Joseph Sy case as ‘Alice Guo Part 2’

The Bureau of Immigration has initiated an investigation on Executive Joseph Sy after biometric records linked him to Chinese nationality, raising doubts over the legitimacy of his Filipino citizenship.

Lawmakers quickly pointed out that Sy’s case bears similarities to that of former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, whose contested identity triggered a national debate earlier this year.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros said the controversy is part of a recurring pattern, not a one-off case, and warned that repeated lapses in citizenship vetting threaten to weaken public trust in government processes.

“Although joining the PCGA is voluntary and it’s non-government, it’s sad to think that Sy may have been given access to people or events where national security was usually discussed,” she explained.

She recalled the controversy surrounding former Bamban mayor Alice Guo, who faced similar questions about her identity, and noted that Sy’s case follows the same troubling trajectory.

“This is Alice Guo Part 2: disguised as a Filipino, with fake passport and fake ID. Seems like there are still loopholes in the processing of nationality,” Hontiveros said.

The senator emphasized that citizenship disputes of this scale are not simply matters of fraud but signal institutional gaps that allow individuals with questionable identities to penetrate sensitive sectors.

“It was not just the local government that he was able to infiltrate. He was able to get close to the coast guard – the very institution tasked with securing our seas… If it’s our institutions that are already being duped, the same can be said of our sovereignty,” she pointed out.

Records showed that Sy is connected to mining ventures in Palawan and Mindoro, and has also served as an auxiliary commander in the Philippine Coast Guard.

“So what can be the real agenda of Joseph Sy? Is he simply conducting business in Palawan, or is there more to his operations than meets the eye?” Hontiveros questioned.

She then added that such roles highlight why stricter safeguards must be enforced since procedural weaknesses leave institutions vulnerable to exploitation.

“On Araw ng Bayani, let’s bear in mind that it’s not just territory that defines sovereignty. Let’s also guard our institutions, processes and documents that validate our being Filipinos,” Hontiveros stated.