“Okay naman na daw ang kanilang documentation. Smelling a rat, our coast guards boarded the vessel where they discovered nine undocumented Chinese crew members,

and when they searched deeper, they found four more, bringing the total to 13.

Ito po ang ilan sa mga IDs na nahanap nila.

Mas nakakapagtaka, may nahanap na PLA uniform on board. Parang yung mga PLA uniform na nahanap sa mga POGO,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros went on to name the company behind the dredging vessel.

“Itanong po natin: what is the company behind this? The company behind this is the state-run CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEER COMPANY o CHEC, blacklisted by the United States in 2020 for its role in the red militarization of the South China Sea, and blacklisted even farther back by the World Trade Organization for its corrupt practices. Subsidiary po ito ng China Communications Construction Company o CCCC na minsan ko nang pinanawagan na i-blacklist. Naghain din ako ng Resolution, PSR No. 989 in April this year, dahil itong CHEC ay involved din sa large-scale sand quarrying activities na nakakasira ng kalikasan,” Hontiveros said.

“Kahit saan dako ng mundo tila nagkakalat ng lagim itong CHEC. “One of the Chinese business giants that the Communist Party uses for everything is CHEC, part of that monster called China that moves with many arms, but is always the same animal” – ito ang sabi ni Mr. Douglas Farrah, an international analyst specializing in Latin American affairs, where CHEC also has problematic infrastructure projects,” she added.

Hontiveros went on to flag issues with the vessel and its passengers.

“Tingnan po natin itong example ng Alien Employment Permit mula sa mga natagpuan na Chinese doon sa vessel, ang nakalista po na company dito ay China Harbour Engineering Company. Kung may AEC sila, bakit po kailangan magtago? Bakit po kailangang wala ang pangalan nila sa manifest, gayong legal naman ang kanilang gawain dito sa bansa natin? Kataka-taka ito,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros also said this is not the first time this happened.

“Lastly, Mr. President, hindi po ito ang unang pagkakataon na may nahuli ang ating mga Coast Guards na mga dredging vessels na gumagawa ng kabulastugan within our waters. In May of this year, our coast guards also apprehended a vessel pretending to carry a flag of the Republic, when in fact it was registered to Sierra Leone. Its crew members were all Chinese nationals,”Hontiveros said.

“The presence of undocumented Chinese nationals aboard a vessel engaged in such contentious operations is a chilling revelation. What were they doing there? Who permitted their entry? Were they acting as laborers, or, as some fear, engaging in activities of an intelligence-gathering nature?” she also said.

Hontiveros wants the following government agencies to immediately investigate.

“Task the Department of Justice through the Bureau of Immigration  to probe the undocumented individuals found aboard these vessels. Who are they, and what are their objectives? Siyasatin din ang kanilang mga Alien Employment Permits na binigay ng Department of Labor and Employment,” Hontiveros said.

“Direct the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conduct an exhaustive assessment of the environmental damage caused by these dredging operations and hold responsible parties accountable,” she added.

Hontiveros is seeking a review of all existing agreements that permit foreign entities to engage in resource extraction or related activities, ensuring that these agreements align not just with ecological preservation but also national security.

She also wants the Philippine government rescind contracts with blacklisted companies like CHEC that commit violations in Philippine waters.

Hontiveros’ speech was referred to  the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace and Unification and Reconciliation.